Noble Moon
by 2SummerSolstice9
Summary: A story about a pair of starcrossed lovers. Elijah & Naomi have known each other since the begining of their lives, before they were both turned into vampires. They love each other passionately but it never seems to be the right time for them to be together. Will the opportunity ever present itself? Elijah/OC
1. Chapter 1

A giggling flurry of blond curls streaked past the thick trees surrounding a small Norse village. Twigs & leaves snapped under her quick feet. Fast behind her was a boy of sixteen years that was chasing her.

"You cannot catch me Elijah!" she threw over her shoulder before taking a sudden turn.

Wearing a good natured grin he followed her. Deciding to end the game, he ran at full speed & quickly caught her. Wrapping his arms around her sides, he spun them around a few times before setting her back down on the forest floor.

"You always say that Naomi," he said, "but it has yet to pass."

Crossing her arms, she pouted. "It's not fair," she complained. "You _always_ catch me."

He let her shimmer down as they walked back to the village. "Hmm. Perhaps we should have a rematch when you have gained a few more years."

They reached the outer limit of the village, huts & other dwellings dotting the cleared woods area. He waived at some of their neighbors as they passed by. Despite being in a tranquil mood he panicked when he felt Naomi's little hand leave his. Worriedly, he scanned all around him. He visibly relaxed when he saw her run into her mother's waiting embrace. Relieved he strolled over to the duo. Seeing Elijah walk up to her, Lina, Naomi's mother, drew him into a hug. He smiled at her as he pulled away.

"Thank you, Master Elijah, for entertaining my daughter's ridiculous fantasies." In the order of their village, Naomi's family were lowly crop planters while the Mikaelsons (his father Mikael, anyway) were the clan leaders, so to speak.

"Really it is no problem Lina. It saves me from more, unsavory duties, after all."

As the eldest son of Mikael Mikaelson, Elijah was expected to become a warrior like his father. However, he much preferred studying & watching after the young Naomi. A girl of six, she was the most adorable being he had ever seen. She had wispy blond hair & large, luminous blue eyes that dominated her heart shaped face. _Surely_, he thought, _she would grow up to be quite a beauty._


	2. Chapter 2

**Super sorry that its been so long between updates! Between sports and school my life had been extremely crazy. Hopefully since fall sports are done and Thanksgiving break is coming up, I will be able to post a few more chapters. ****Remember to keep in mind that the story is supposed to be set a thousand years ago (for right now anyway) so I apologize if the language is a little different. I promsie, I tried my best. **

Naomi gathered up her dress skirts as she ran into the clan center. With the harvest season over, her mother and her had just received their pay for all of their work with the crops. She had nearly jumped in excitement when her mother gave her half of the earnings to do with as she wished. At first she had resisted but her mother could certainly be stubborn when she decided to be.

_She tried forcing the sack of coins into the older woman's protesting hands."Mother please, it's too much."_

"_Nonsense child, this is just as much your money as it is mine. Besides, you are of age to start being more responsible for yourself."_

_Tears of happiness shone in her eyes. "Are you sure?"_

"_Well of course! Not to mention that I know about the Gathering for the young people in the clan. It is in two weeks, so use the money to go buy yourself something nice."_

_Naomi squealed and grabbed her mother. Incessantly repeating 'thank you' she spun her in a circle before leaving through the front door._

Currently she was entering a trading hut. Here she could find all the cloth and ribbon she needed to make a fantastic dress. A dress she would definitely need if she wanted to catch Elijah's eye. Opening up the cloth flap she greeted the old woman who collected and traded dress materials for the village. Declining the offer for help, she immediately sought the finer patterns. Her fingers passed along the racks of cloth before until she found one that captured her attention.

It was silky and light under her touch. Its pale violet hue was smooth and beautiful-it was simply stunning. And it was exactly what she wanted, although she hadn't known it before this moment. Picking it up, she held it against her body. She smiled; yes, this was the dress that she had imagined. Fine and elegant yet beautiful enough to be noticeable. Maybe even…seductive. She blushed profusely at the last word. Gathering the length of the cloth she waved the old woman over. The vender ran her hands over the ilk appreciatively before pulling it out of her hands.

"It took me four season cycles to get this silk." She looked up at Naomi briefly. "That was how long it took me to gather enough funds to buy it from the previous owner. He was a stingy bastard," she chuckled. "I was elated to have it in my collection but it now appears that I will have to part with it." Returning the fabric to her she smiled kindly. "The cost is twenty coins."

She only barely kept her jaw from dropping at the woman's words. Surely that was the highest price she had ever paid for a dress! Thinking back she remembered her mother's stubborn words.

_I know about the gathering for the young clan members in two weeks. Use the money to go buy something nice._

She bit her lip in her musings. It _was_ a lot but surely it would make her more noticeable… Hesitantly she handed over her payment. Thanking her for the purchase, the old woman waved her off. She looked down at her remaining money as she exited the hut. She now only had a few coins left which would have to last her through the current lunar cycle. But if she had done it before she could certainly do it now, especially since she had so much at stake.

Clenching the coins she put them into the folds of her dress and admired what would be her new dress. Make no mistake; on the inside she was giddy at her newest purchase. She had never seen anything so beautiful and she hoped no one else had either. Lost in her own thoughts she narrowly avoided running into the only person on this Earth that she truly hated. Tatiana Petrova.

"Watch where you're going," she huffed, "_peasant."_ The Petrova's were the newest clan family having only lived here for a little over a year. They were wealthier, more so than her family and they made it no secret that they thought themselves better than most everyone around them. Not to mention that Tatiana simply hated her. Add those two things together and Tatiana's peasant slur made perfect sense. Naomi didn't care for the girl either and would love nothing more than to tell her how she really felt. There was just one problem- Elijah and Tatiana were friends.

"I'm sorry Tatiana. I didn't mean to offend you." The tan girl just scoffed before she the purple silk in Naomi's hands. Jealousy flashed in her eyes before it was masked beneath its usual cold persona. Overly sweet she said, "That's beautiful, I take it you mean to wear it to the gathering."

She leaned in a little closer. "In that case, you must know that it won't impress Elijah because he's already going with me." Heart stricken she looked at the dirt covered ground. Stupid girl, as handsome as Elijah is she should have known that he would already have a date- "Naomi?"

Looking up from her feet she saw Elijah who was quickly heading her way. He hugged her and gave her a friendly smile. "Howa re you/" he questioned. "I feel as if I haven't seen you in a long while."

She did her best to come up with a suitable answer, one that hopefully didn't make her interest in him too obvious. But it was hard-the last ten years had been very kind to him. Now twenty-six he was even taller than before, his muscles more defined. The dark shadow of a beard matched the dark brunette of his thick hair. After all, it was his looks combined with his quiet strength and politeness that drew her to him.

"Oh don't worry, it's just that my mother and I have been occupied with the summer harvest but now that it's done I intend to be around more often." That last remark was more for Tatiana who looked upon the two old friends with cold fury.

"I'm glad to hear that," he smiled. "Rebekah has been bored these past few weeks and has been acquiring about your presence. " Along with Elijah, Naomi was also close to other members of the Mikaelson family in particular, his younger sister Rebekah who was the closest to her in age. "Tell her that I will be attending the gathering this year."

"I will make sure to pass on the message-"

"Come Elijah, we must be going," interrupted the other girl. Grabbing his arm she tried to physically remove him from the conversation. Naomi cracked a small smile when he gently removed her hand and insisted that he would find her later. In a huff Tatiana set off, mumbling under her breath the whole way.

"So how have you been Naomi, really?"

"Good," she answered. "Although I'm not sorry the harvest is over. It requires much time and work yet pays very little. With only my mother and I it can be quite cumbersome."

"I would imagine so. If you had only asked I'm sure I could've been of some assistance."

The two stood there in awkward silence for a few moments, looking anywhere other than each other. "So," she started. "I hear you're taking Tatiana to the gathering."

He frowned at her. "Don't be absurd, we are only acquaintances. Who gave you such a false idea?"

"No one," she quickly assured him.

"Well in that case, I really must be going. I'll be sure to send Rebekah your words. Be well, Naomi," he added before reluctantly walking away with lingering eyes. Naomi was still too excited to notice, however.

He wasn't going with Tatiana! There was still a chance for her after all! Pumping her fist while being careful with the delicate material she carried, she ran home to start on her dress. Visions of beauty and grandeur followed her all the way.

_Elijah may still be mine yet._


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hopefully we all have something to be thankful for. I know I was just thankful to get this chapter up. Haha just kidding but here is the new chapter. Enjoy! **

"Ouch!" Her finger bright red & throbbing Naomi quickly stuck the appendage in her mouth. The faintest taste of iron & salt washed over her tongue.

For the past week she had been diligently creating her dress, threading each stitch with determination. The effects of her schedule were starting to show in the bags under her eyes & the cramping fingers she constantly had. Every time her mind tried to talking her into stopping she remembered Tatiana's hurtful words & how they made her feel. Her determination would then soon be renewed & she would start to work again. But after six days of the same tedious motions she was plain exhausted. She had been touching up the sleeves when her eyes started to flutter shut. Not paying attention to what she was doing, she caught the sharp tip of a needle with her pointer finger.

Taking the finger from her moist mouth she was glad to see it had stopped bleeding-working with a bandage would only have slowed her down. She paused for a moment & looked, _really_ looked at her dress. It was almost done with the exception of the sleeves which she had been working on. Taking her wet finger she further inspected the wound. The so called "wound", while painful, was nothing more than a small breach of skin. There wasn't a bruise & it wasn't even bleeding anymore. She chuckled at her own dramatics.

Sighing, she finally put down the needle & thread. Maybe it _was_ time that she took a short reprieve. She gazed longingly at her bed. What she wouldn't give for a nap. Standing on unsupportive legs she shuffled over to the bed before collapsing on it unceremoniously. Jaw cracking from a wide yawn she closed her eyes, waiting for sleep. The dance was tomorrow night after all. _I'll have time to finish it yet. _

Waking up some time later Naomi returned to finish the dress feeling refreshed.

Sneaking out of her self-imposed domain she quickly went to find something to quiet her rumbling tummy. Not long after that she heard a crisp knock on the door. "Come in!" she called through her chews. The wooden door thrust open & in walked Rebekah.

Eyes narrowed she questioned, "Just what do you think that you are doing?"

Naomi glanced at her handful of bread as if it should be obvious. Rebekah cracked a smile & rolled her eyes.

"Not that-do you realize what time it is?" Before Naomi could even answer she continued on with her rant. "It is precisely three hours before this gathering. You were supposed to be at my home forty minutes ago!"

"Sorry Bekah, I lost track of time. Besides it should not take too long for me to get ready. It is not like I own any makeup-"

"Nonsense," Rebekah interrupted. "You can share mine with me. Who else is going to use it? Nik?"

Both girls giggled uncontrollably at the thought of the surliest Mikaelson sibling with painted lips & curled lashes. Finally reigning in her humor Naomi finished eating & went back to get her dress ready for the trip to Rebekah's family's house. Worried due to its delicate nature she covered it up in a blanket before meeting her friend outside.

They chattered amongst themselves throughout the leisurely walk back to the Mikaelson's. Apparently Mikael, the patriarch of not only the family but the entire village as well, was concerned over the rising number of wolf attacks. It was even thought that the killings were the work of actually werewolves. Naomi shivered as she remembered every bloody, grizzly tale that her mother had told her about werewolves. She supposed that she had never met one but if she had it her way she never would. Opening the door the girls stepped into the hut. Although it was so large that it could actually pass for a cabin.

Glancing around she was surprised to be met by dead quiet. Since the Mikaelson family was so large it seemed that their house was always loud & alive. "Where is everyone?"

Rebekah looked around bored. "Let's see. Mother is off talking with her witch; Klaus is out with Finn sparring, Kol chasing some woman; that leaves Elijah who went with father to take care of the wolf problem." She counted off each member with a finger. "And that, my dear friend, leaves me all by my lonesome." She smirked over at Naomi. "Which is exactly why you are here."

All talk of wolves was forgotten as the girls hurried to make themselves pretty. Despite Naomi's protests she was the first one to put on makeup courtesy of Rebekah's insistence. It felt like she was sitting on the chair forever. Worse she couldn't actually see what Rebekah was doing to her. But she could feel her face being covered in a powder of some sort causing her to choke on the thick cloud of makeup while at the same time almost having her eye poked out as she applied black liquid to her eyes.

Personally she thought that it was a little ridiculous. What if she came out looking like a clown? She glared at Rebekah in suspicion. She wouldn't put it past her friend to pull a joke on her.

"Oh quit giving me that look," she sniffed. "You look beautiful if I do say so myself."

Thankfully her torture ended as Rebekah put down all her supplies & proclaimed the word finished. Naomi touched her face carefully not wanting to smear anything as Rebekah left to go fetch a mirror. Hearing footsteps approaching the door she turned around expecting to see a blond, female Mikaelson. Instead she stood shocked to see Kol standing there.

Wasn't he supposed to be out of the house? However in his defense he stood there looking equally surprised. The youngest of the boys in the family he was forever being babied by his mother & made no secret that chasing after women was his favorite past time. But with his strikingly handsome features none of the ladies seemed to mind. Snapping out of his stupor he smirked & sauntered over to her.

"Hello my sweet," he said, "My name is Kol." He bent over to kiss the top of her palm pausing to inhale near her inner wrist. "Hmm...Simply mouthwatering." Smiling he stood up."You seem to have my name sweet but I do not believe that I have yours."

Naomi almost choked on her laughter. Surely he recognized her & was just fooling with her? She looked into his eyes trying to see if there was any hint of mischief but when she couldn't find any she down incredulously. By the Gods he really didn't know that it was her. Did the makeup really change her physical image that much? She looked over at the door impatiently.

_Rebekah had better bring that mirror & soon!_

For now she merely sighed at Kol. "Look closely Kol, don't I seem familiar in any way?"

Again he didn't actually pay attention to what she was saying& instead tried using his charms to win her over. "Only in my dreams have I seen your angelic face my sweet so to see you in the real world…it is simply too much." He dramatically dropped to his knees. "Surely it would not be too much to ask for your name?" He looked up at her from under his lashes with big round eyes.

"Umm Kol, you really have the wrong idea," she said as she rapidly waved her hands in front of herself.

Suddenly Rebekah returned. "Kol, you fool, what do you think you are doing?" she cried. "Get up! It is only Naomi." Naomi nodded eagerly hoping that his sister could make him see reason.

"I don to believe you," he said haughtily. "I have known Naomi practically my whole life& I like to think that I would recognize her if I saw her." Still he looked over at her thinking."But just in case, we can easily settle this with a simple question. A question that only Naomi would know the answer to." He squatted down peering straight into her eyes. "What is my biggest childhood secret?"

"Too easy," she replied. "It's Bekah's cloth dollies." Rebekah made a sound of outrage before she shushed her. "When he was little he used to play with them when no one was around. One day I caught him though & was sworn to secrecy-"

"Okay, okay that's enough!" Kol looked at the ground, his cheeks on fire. "Only the real Naomi would know that," he admitted as he sat next to her on the bed. "But you cannot blame me, I mean come on, you've never looked this way before! Quick Bekah, put that mirror to good use & show Naomi her new look." Her anger at Kol forgotten she brought the mirror to Naomi.

Before turning the mirror over she took a big breath to calm herself down. Slowly she flipped it around. She gasped in shock at her reflection. Not to make her sound vain but she thought that she looked beautiful. Her blue eyes looked big & mysterious. There was smarting of pink across her cheeks & Bekah's powder made her normally sun kissed skin look pale, delicate. Once when she was a girl she was lucky enough to sneak a glimpse of a glass doll. With her now pretty features & perfectly placed golden ringlets she reminded herself of it. Looking at herself she struggled to say something. She finally squeaked out a 'wow'.

"See?" Kol said, grinning at her. "I told you I could not recognize you." Of course Rebekah couldn't resist interjecting her opinion as well. "You are absolutely stunning. I _told_ you that I could be trusted with these sorts of things." Naomi only nodded in both agreement & gratitude but on the inside she was positively giddy. If Kol had reacted this strongly there was no way that Elijah was going to be able to resist her.

"Come, come." Rebekah clapped her hands excitedly before leaving the room. "Wait here," she called," While I go get more makeup. When I come back it shall be my turn.

Waiting her Rebekah's return, Naomi & Kol sat there in an awkward silence. Finally Kol rose. As he got up to leave he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Elijah would be a fool, a big fool indeed, if he were to ignore you this night." Giving on further explanation he kissed her forehead & walked through the door.

All the while Naomi sat there rapidly blinking her eyes at his bold, heartfelt statement.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello those of you who are still reading. Sorry I haven't updated in a while but thanks for sticking with it! Anyway Merry belated Christmas & Happy early New Year. I hope to have another chapter done before break is over but I'll see how it plays out. Enjoy and special thanks to those who have been reviewing. **

Naomi nervously brushed off her dress as she dismounted from her horse. The Mikaelson family had donated horses to all of their children since it was such a special occasion. As a close friend to their only daughter she was deemed worthy enough to borrow a horse from their stable.

For the most part their village was a simple one but the Gathering was the one time a year that everyone indulged themselves. Transportation was provides, meals donated. This was only the second one that Naomi had ever gone to and she was nervous. All the earlier confidence from her makeup job had fled as soon as the clearing was in sight. She bit her lips in worry. What if Elijah didn't like it? What if he thought her attempts to impress him childish? Worse, what if Tatiana confronted her? That alone terrified her more than anything else. Her doubts must have been obvious on her face because Rebekah quickly chided her. "Stop chewing your lip, you'll wipe off all of the lip paint." Immediately she let go of her lip and dropped her eyes to the grass covered ground. In a softer voice Rebekah said, "Don't worry Naomi, he'll love you." "It's not him that I'm worried about so much as her." Rebekah scowled in seriousness. "If she has anything to say she'll have to come through me first." Naomi smiled at her friend in gratitude.

Glancing through the trees she could already see the flame from the periodically placed fire pits. The images of the people already present danced in the shadows. As she walked closer to the crowd she could not but help searching for two faces – the one that she wanted to see and the one that she hoped to avoid.

"Stop," Rebekah chastised. "You will only drive yourself mad with worry. Try to mingle. It could be fun." Taking her own advice she quickly left to go talk with a potential suitor leaving Naomi to fend for herself. Feeling shy and out of place she kept to the outer edges of the clearing.

Throughout the next hour or so more of the Mikaelson siblings trickled in until Elijah was the only one unaccounted for. With each passing minute that he was not there she grew more anxious. Trying to relax, she subtly observed the others. Everyone looked to be having fun. She could not resist smiling at Kol's antics as he tried to impress a group of girls. Somehow they did not look thrilled as he attempted to dance. In Naomi's opinion he _did_ look a little spastic. It became even more humorous when Klaus cuffed him on the back of the head for scaring the girls away. Laughing she looked away.

Turning to her left she was surprised when she spotted Finn. He was staring rather intently at her. Embarrassed she politely waved and quickly focused on something else. Still it was awkward when he walked over. Blushing she looked at the ground.

Seeing that his feet were not moving away she finally looked up. He greeted her with a big, warm smile. "Hello there, Naomi. You look rather ravishing, if it is not too bold of me to say."

"Thank you," she responded. There was a drawn out silence as she thought of what to say next. She was close with his family but Finn in particular she had never been close with. "Yes, your sister helped me with the process."

He frowned and looked at Bekah who was dancing with a boy. "Hmm. No, she did not. Any way why are you standing by yourself in the shadows? A girl as beautiful as you should have dance partners lined up for miles."

It seemed an innocent enough question but she still blushed. Normally boys did not spare her a second glance, besides Elijah that is and even then he only looked at her with friendship. Usually they were too busy pinning after true beauties like Bekah and Tatiana. So this new found interest from Finn was most unexpected.

He looked at her again. "Would you like to dance?"

"S-sure," she said uncertainly. Flashing her that bright Mikaelson smile that they all seemed to possess, he grabbed her hand leading her to the dance floor. The music was wonderful. Light and jovial, it was perfect for the evening. Of course, when she got there it turned into a slow, romantic pace.

_Curse it all, I do not know how to dance this! _

And she did not. Formal dance skills were only ever taught to the rich. As a crop growers daughter she had never needed to know how. Sensing her insecurity Finn kindly positioned her properly. They stood facing each other with his hands wrapped around with her delicate waist.

"Put your arms around me darling and simply follow my lead." She swallowed nervously but nodded. It started out disastrous – she kept stepping on his toes, and bless his heart he did not comment, but she soon understood the rhythm. She actually found this dance style to be quite enjoyable. It would have been even if her partner had been slightly taller with lush brunette hair.

Immediately her anxieties came back. _Where are you Elijah?_

The dance stopped and Finn bowed to her. She curtsied in response. He once again grabbed her hand this time taking her to the food and drink. It was there that she first heard the whispers.

"They just arrived."

"Oh, are they not adorable?"

"I bet that they will marry someday."

Curious to see who the gossip was about she gazed through the crowd. She did not see anyone she thought to be new –

"Hello, Naomi."

Hearing a familiar voice she snapped her head to the side. _Elijah!_ Having no words she simply gave him a hug. He returned the sentiment and continued to speak. "You look breath taking my dear. I must say that this shade of violet goes wonderful with your features."

She pulled away smiling at his comment. "Thank you," she said gratefully. "When I was dancing I received many comments on it."

He looked surprised. "You, dancing?"

She blushed. "I know it is not something I normally do but Finn was rather persistent –"

"Finn?" he questioned. She nodded and suddenly a dark shadow came over his face. He opened his mouth to speak but was rudely interrupted.

"There you are Elijah." Naomi almost groaned. How could she have forgotten Tatiana? She sent Naomi a taunting smirk before focusing no Elijah. "Come my darling, the crowd has requested a dance of us."

Naomi crinkled her brows in thought. Why would the crowd wanted them to dance?

Elijah looked guilty. Evidently feeling bad for leaving her he apologized as he was pulled away. "It is perfectly fine," she lied. "Mayhap we can continue our conservation later."

He smiled with relief as he was completely swallowed up in the masses of people. She stood there for a moment before pushing her way through the crowd. She did not know what possessed her but she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wanted, no _needed_ to see their dance. Finally the swarm of people gave way and she made her way to the front. Upon getting there though she seriously wished that she had not.

Arms wrapped around each other, swaying in time to the music, Elijah and Tatiana looked magnificent together. Like a beautiful, wealthy couple from a fairy tale Naomi realized with dread that they had been the one the rumors were about. Hot tears filled her eyes. How had she never seen this before? They were perfect for each other and she, the lowly farmer daughter, could never hope to best Tatiana. She had never really stood a chance but tonight she had at least hoped.

The dance ended with applause and cheer. Elijah's eyes were searching the crowd but before Naomi could see it he was pulled down by Tatiana for a kiss. This final act ruined her and she gasped out loud at the pain. Her wounded heart was bleeding. Turning around she failed to see the emotions of those around her: Finn's confusion, Tatiana's victorious smile. But most importantly Elijah's agonized eyes that followed her retreating figure with sorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay, another chapter is up! Sorry that this one is on the smaller side but I really want to get to the next one (big revelations are coming up). Plus I thought this was the perfect way to celebrate the return of new episodes for the show. Can't wait to see tomorrow's episode. Hope you guys enjoy the post. **

Pushing uncaring through the crowd, Naomi was so upset that she did not even retrieve her borrowed horse before running into the forest. The tears running down her cheeks felt rather warm in the chilly autumn night. It was probably her running make-up but she could not bring herself to care. Branches and thorns kept snagging on her dress marring her once decadent dress with rips.

Running. Running. Running.

Naomi's breathing was out of control and her legs were cramping from the sustained long distance that she had run. Finally she stopped due to utter exhaustion. When her body gave out she collapsed on the ground light headed. She lay there on the forest floor, unmoving for a long while. Moving beyond her earlier heartbreak, now she was left feeling hollow on the inside.

_The Gathering had been a disaster!_

The moment she had seen Elijah and Tatiana kiss an all-consuming void had opened beneath her breast bone. Heavy and dreadful, it ripped through her until nothing was left untouched. A splitting pain settled in her forehead, her fingers trembled of their own accord.

However her eyes remained dry-they no longer had tears to shed.

She did not know how long she stayed there hunched over but panicked when she heard a twig snap in the distance. She would be mortified if anyone saw her like this! Mustering up her remaining strength she dragged herself into a nearby cluster of trees. Hopefully the foliage would provide the shelter she needed.

The footsteps came closer and closer as she tried to be still and silent.

Despite the anxiety she felt at being caught she could not help the tired sensation that came over her. She tried to listen for any more footsteps but it seemed that her body had other plans. Sure enough her breathing evened out as her eyes slowly drifted shut. The unconscious abyss was a welcome feeling after her emotional outpour at the party. A mute voice sounded to her left but before she could think, her body slumped against a stable tree trunk.

Elijah helplessly called out into the night as he continued his search for Naomi. After he saw her run off he could not bear the thought of her being alone in the very woods his father suspected sheltered the werewolves. Images of her agonized face appeared in his thoughts continuously causing him to rush his search.

If anything happened to her...he would never forgive himself. His morals would simply not allow him to.

Hearing noise coming from the trees up ahead he went to investigate in hopes of finding Naomi.

"Naomi!" He paused to hear something, anything to let him know where she was. Silence. He tried again. "Please Naomi, if you are out there answer me!" Once again he was met with the consuming sound of nothing.

"Naomi... I am sorry,"he called out one last time.

Walking around the area he was disappointed not to get a response. defeated he lifted a cluster of small branches out of his way to get back to the main path. As he moved the last branch he was faced with a site that made him stop cold. Curled up on the ground next to the base of a smaller tree was Naomi.

He ran over to her still form, concerned that she was not moving. A sigh of relief escaped him when he found her just to be asleep. The wolves had not gotten to her then. He brushed a wisp of blond hair from her face and almost wished that he had not. All across her cheeks were the remnants of her make-up. So beautiful only a short while ago, now it was reduced to dark, heavy smears.

He sighed sorrowfully as he picked up her slender form in his strong arms. Usually so happy and kind to all those around her he could not bear to see Naomi sad. Even worse, in tears. For the past several years of his life he had feelings for this young woman. His love for her was obvious, at least in his mind, but she never acknowledged it. He did not comment on this instead choosing to have some of her affections over none.

His precious package nestled securely in his embrace he walked out of the forest and continued to walk until he reached his horse. All white, it was a strong, beautiful creature. He put Naomi's sleeping body over the horse's body before skillfully climbing a top. Grabbing the reins he coaxed his steed into a gentle trot not wanting to disturb Naomi. Delighted to have her in an intimate embrace, since it rarely ever happened, he started the short journey back to Naomi's hut.

**Poor Elijah. He may be smart and super good-looking but he really doesn't know how to approach relationships (at least my version of him doesn't). Especially if he thinks that his romantic feelings are obvious. I feel ike Naomi would beg to differ. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey readers, super sorry it took so long for this chapter! It was very long and I had to make sure that it sounded just right. Not to mention that Kol's recent death is still fresh in my mind so this chapter was like a therapy of sorts. Any way without any further chit chat, here's the big reveal scene. Hope you guys love it and feel free to comment. **

_Naomi woke up lying in an open field. Looking around she pushed herself into a sitting position. The green grass felt soft under her fingertips and the sun appeared high in the sky. She did not rememebr how she got to this place but was overcome with how mythical it was. _

_The Sky was blue, the richest hue she ahd ever seen it. All around her unseen birds prettily chirped and cheeped. She gasped when a butterfly landed on her knee. It was so delicate looking with glossy silver-blue wings. She reached down to stroke its wings and was even more surprised when it did not fly away. Instead it calmly felt around her leg, letting her pet it. Smiling, she gathered the butterfly in her palm and stood up._

_As she looked around she could not see an end to the rolling hills of grass. She absolutely loved it! At home they did not have wide open fields such as this. Unable to resist she went exploring. While she was walking around she got a feeling, a tugging sensation in her chest, that she was running away from something. Thinking back though, she honestly could not remember. Eventually she was brought out of her musing. _

_Caught unaware, she was nervous when she saw the changes in scenery. Bright blue skies had faded to black onimous clouds, spongy grass gave way to tall trees with knarled branches. Even her butterfly had disappeared, leaving her all alone in this desolate place. Scared feelings started washing over her, making her want to get out of the open. She went by the trees but froze when glowing yellow eyes peered at her. _

_What was going on?_

_She wished she had not asked when the beast crept out of the darkness, revealing itself to her. She took a step back but tripped over a root during her short lived escape. She tried to get up but her terror kept her from moving. The yellow eyes belonged to the biggest wolf she had ever seen. In fact it was almost too larege for a wolf. If she ahd to guess she would say that it was a... werewolf. That thought did not comfort her in the least while she sat idle on the ground. Suddenly the werewolf leaped, its jaws aimed at her face. She closed her eyes and screamed..._

Fighting through a foggy mind and heavy limbs, Naomi slowly came to. Her thoughts must have been slow in functioning because she could not recognize where she was at. But she did know that it was bright. Her eyes rebelled against the light and squeezed shut with tears in them. Oh, and it was warm. That meant that she was at least inside, wherever inside was. In the background she could hear a muted voice talking. It seemed like it was directed at her but she could not decipher what exactly it was saying. Slowly her senses returned. Her eyes opened gingerly and she peered around.

Oh. Of course she was in her room back at home. And it appeared that the voice talking to her was only Elijah... wait, Elijah? Drowsiness was forgotten as she bolted upright in her bed.

"Oh, thank goodness," he smiled. "You're awake. I became worried when you started screaming. You must have been in the theoroes of a foul dream."

She heard him talking but she was still confused. "Forget about the nightmare Elijah, what are you doing here, in my home?"

Looking sheepish he stared at her from the chair he was sitting in over in the corner of the small room. "You are probably refering to how you manage to find yourself back home and me with you."

She nodded her head.

"Of course. Then I shall start at the begining. After much prodding from the crowd I found myself on the dance floor with Tatia. I felt a little uncomfortable, as you mgiht guess, but she seemed so content that I followed her example. The song started and while I was dancing I spotted you in the crowd."

As he continued, his demenor turned remorseful. "You looked anguished and in shock. You turned aroudn and ran off before I could explain. After your departure I left in a rush to find you. Iwas frightened at the idea of something happening to you but was relieved when I found you merely asleep. Gathering you in my arms, I took you directly home to the room we now find ourselves in."

Naomi sat there silent, huddled under her blanket. She understood his story weel enough but was still confused at one part. She licked her dry lips. "Why did you go through the trouble of finding me? If you ask me you looked happy enough to dance the night away in _her_ arms."

Now it was his turn to look confused. "_Her_?" he questioned. "You mean Tatia?"

That last word made Naomi stiffen. "And sicne when do you refer to her as Tatia?"

"All of her close family and friends call her Tatia. Bu that is beside the point. Why would I want to dance with her? You must know that I see her only as a friend."

Seriously, a nickname? The very sound of it was evil. However she was most curious, and excited, about the last thing he said. "So you truly are not attracted to Tatiana?"

"No. What ever gave you that idea?" he frowned. Embarrassed but desperately trying to act unaffected she spoke up.

"Well, it is just that you two are always together so I was under the assumption-" Elijah's deep laughter interrupted her. "This is not comical for me Elijah."

He was still laughing but managed to answer her. "I am sorry, Naomi, but I cannot help my humor at the idea of Tatia and I together. I swear any feelings I have for her only stem from friendship." If that was true then there was but only one more question to ask.

"If you do not like her then who _do_ you fancy?" She was surprised to see his blush from the corner that he was sitting in. He cleared his throat once, then two times.

"Is it not obvious?" he asked. He got the hint when she did not speak in return. "Then perhaps I have not made myself clear enough." Getting off of the chair he sat next to her on the bed, looking at her with heart felt eyes. "You, Naomi. It has always been and, I fear, always will be you." By the end of his confession Naomi was speechless.

She had wanted to hear those words for such a long time that when the time finally came, she did not know how to react. Overwhelmed she burst into tears. Elijah held her the entire time, rocking her and murmuring encouragements. When all of the crying was done she pulled back a little to wipe the moisture from her eyes. "It was always my biggest wish to hear you say that," she hiccupped. Now it was Elijah's turn to pull back as he leaned against the wall.

"Are you meaning to say you have felt the same all of this time?" When she nodded he asked, "Then why not tell me? All along I supposed you to be indifferent, to not return the emotion." Rushing to reassure him she sat next to him and gave him a hug.

"I have loved you ever since I was a child. Some looked down on me for being a farmers daughter but not you, no never you."

His dark brown eyes wandered back to her green ones as they softly stared at each other. She watched him with adoration in her eyes. He grabbed her hand in his much larger one and stroked tiny circles on the palm of her hand. Slowly their faces moved closer and closer without her noticing. Her lip parted with a noiseless gasp when Elijah continued to lower his head. The second before his lips would have touched their eyes met again. He appeared beseeching and she found herself agreeing without knowing what it was she consented to. It became obvious when he soundly pressed his mouth against hers. Caught up in the moment she kissed him back. Kissed him back even though she knew it was inappropriate.

But she could not help herself. It was perfect - he was perfect.

The encounter lasted mere second before his masculine lips pulled away. "I apologize for being forward," he panted, "But you cannot know I long I have dreamed of this tender embrace."

On the contrary she thought. Amazed by the passion he was able to raise in her, she could only continue to gaze at him. Clearing his throat he put distance between them much to her disgruntlement. She was more of his touch, not less. When he moved to his knees on her floor she stretched out her fingers towards him. Satisfied when he grabbed them in return, she was unprepared for his next question. "Dearest, dearest Naomi. You alone are the treasured keeper of my heart." Adjusting her hand, he placed it over his heart. "Will you afford me the great opportunity of courting you?"

Through tears of joy she smiled, biting her upper lip. "Of course, yes," she answered when she was able. Smiling brilliantly he graced her with another kiss. This one seemed sweeter somehow. Perhaps because it was their first kiss as a couple. She finally had to pull away to take a breath. Panting, she rested her forehead against Elijah's. Past speaking word, the couple was content to merely gaze at one another. Lost in their own thoughts, they jumped when Naomi's mother slammed the door open.

Standing in the entry way, with hands on her hips and blond hair flowing, she had a scowl on her face. "Young daughter, just what sort of scandals are happening in this room?"

Before speaking she nervously removed her head from Elijah. "Mother it was all innocent, this I swear." Well, the great majority of it was innocent but she was not willing to inform her mother of it otherwise.

Her mothers scowl deepened. "The why are you two together, locked in this room alone?" It was time to confess.

"Well mother..." She paused to look at Elijah for strength. "It just so happens that Elijah has asked to court me." The older woman's scowl finally straightened out. "And I have excepted," Naomi boldly stated.

A mixture of emotions went across her mother's face making her as nervous as before. Lena finally settled on a smile. "Accepted you say? Well, I cannot hide that in my heart I always hoped this day would come. To finally have it here.. it is indescribable!" Running forward she grabbed her daughter in a tight embrace. Her eyes turned to Elijah next who seemed to understand.

"If I may interrupt Lena, I would ask of you the chance to date your daughter."

Releasing Naomi she walked over to him. Grabbing hid head between her hands, she stood up on her toes to place a kiss on his brow. "You have my full blessing Elijah Mikaelson."

Naomi sighed in relief. That was not nearly o hard as she imagined.

"But my opinion matter not."

She almost cried when Elijah solemnly agreed. What was this? And here she thought everything was going so well. Almost as if reading her mind he rushed over to her.

"Fear not, precious Naomi," he cooed. "Your mother is only referring to what we need do next."

She looked up at him. Now it was his turn to appear nervous.

"How do you feel about paying my parents a visit this evening?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Finally chapter seven is up! This one was hard to write but it needed to be done. Sorry if it feels short but the next chapter will be longer I promise. Anyway hope you guys like it. It probably sounds really formal just for asking permission to date but it's how I picture this time period (1000's) being. Hope all of you readers like it :)**

If she thought that she was nervous before it was minimal to how she felt presently. For the first time in her life she was too anxious to go into the Mikaelson home. It was ridiculous considering how many times she had been in the house. Upon seeing her fragile state, Elijah had offered to go get his parents while Naomi waited outside. That had been some time ago. What if something had changed? Had his parents refused the audience? Her nerves got the better of her and she pulled the ends of her hair while pacing side to side.

Behind her the door opened and she turned expecting to see Elijah. Instead she was greeted by Rebekah who joined her outside. For once the blond did not appear to be scheming. She merely stood there watching Naomi. Finally she spoke up.

"What are you doing out here, Naomi? It is so cold, surely you would much rather wait inside."

Unable to contain herself she confessed all of her doubts. "I am nervous, Bekah, are you satisfied now? More nervous than I have ever been in my entire life, I think. How can I not be? Elijah is the eldest child in your family. I am sure that your parents desire him to keep the company of woman who are beautiful, high class, and widely learned. I am none of those things."

She sneaked at glance at her friend. "What if I do not meet their expectations?"

Bekah smiled before nudging Naomi into the house. "Silly girl, they _have_ met you before keep in mind and they love you."

She cut Naomi off before she could interrupt. "No, no. Do not try to deny it. Naomi, you have been a part of our family since we were children. After today it will simply be more, well, official."

Hearing those words calmed her down some. Bekah had always been good at this sort of thing. "You are right, of course," she agreed. "Besides, it is only a courting request; it is not as if it is a marriage proposal."

"Well…" Rebekah began.

Naomi gave her an unbelieving stare. No. No. There was no way. "What do you mean by that?!"

"It is just that he has loved you for so long and Elijah is one who does not change his mind. Since you've agreed to date him there is a large possibly, when my parents confirm it, that marriage will happen in the future."

Naomi felt a tad faint and had to stop her pacing to drop into the nearest chair.

"Oh no, I have said too much. I am sorry I did not mean to add to your stress." Concerned for her friend Rebekah knelt in front of her. With one hand she grasped Naomi's clammy hands and with the other she felt the girl's forehead. "You do not appear sick."

Naomi mustered up the strength to speak through her light-headedness.

"You just startled me I am afraid. I mean, I have always wanted Elijah in that way but to hear talk of marriage only shortly after agreeing to date it shocked my sensibilities. With everything that has occurred this night I guess I felt like it was all moving too fast."

Rebekah gave a sympathetic smile. "Once again, I am sorry for causing you further worry. But in all honesty – look here he comes!" she whispered excitedly.

With hands grasped behind his back Elijah entered the room. He quietly bid her to follow him. She got up but turned back to Bekah. "What was it that you were trying to say?"

"It was nothing," she answered waving her hands. "Good luck."

Naomi mouthed 'thank you' at her before turning forward to follow Elijah to the back of the house. Head held high, she took one last breath as Elijah shut the door. When he passed by he made sure to look at her and smile. She smiled back as his actions gave her further courage.

"Come closer child," bid Mikael, Elijah's father. He and his wife, Esther, sat in the middle of the room atop cushioned seats. In front of them were two wooden chairs that she assumed were meant for Elijah and her. Eyes downcast she quickly took a seat.

"Are you comfortable my dear?"

She looked up when Esther spoke. The matriarch gestured towards a tray of drinks. "No thank you madam," she replied politely.

"Enough with the formalities, Naomi, I have known you since childhood after all.

"As you wish, Lady Esther."

The party members chatted for a few moments before Mikael brought the meeting to a head. "So Naomi, my son tells me that he wishes to court you."

"Yes sir, it is true."

"And that you have accepted his proposal, correct?"

"Yes sir."

He sighed and looked over at his wife. Esther met his gaze and nodded. "Then as his parents," he declared, "we see no objection to it."

Hearing this she slumped down in relief. Elijah seemed just as thrilled, squeezing her hand and smiling.

"But," continued Mikael, "others may not be as accepting about it."

"Others?" demanded Elijah. "Like who?"

"My son, surely you know there are a handful of families who had hoped you might take a fancy to their own daughters."

"It is pure folly! They cannot decide my life for me," he argued.

Esther intervened on behalf of her frustrated husband. "What your father means, Elijah, is that the public will expect you two to act a certain way. Anything less and they might protest."

"We can handle it mother I assure you. Naomi and I love each other."

The young pair shared an intimate stare which did not go unnoticed. His father stood up and held out his hand. "Then let us talk of it no more. I believe congratulations are in order."

Happy once again Elijah stood up to receive him. Wrapping their arms around each other they exchanged words as men do.

"Men will be men," surmised Esther as she walked over to sit next to Naomi. Pleasantries were said as the women hugged. "You are a wonderful girl, Naomi," she said. "You will make a wonderful companion for my eldest son."

"Thank you. I am confident that I can make him happy."

Leaning closer Esther whispered in her ear. "Remember Naomi, one must stay strong even in the face of uncertainty."

_Uncertainty?_ The young girl pulled back, a confused look on her face. What did Esther mean by that? Before she could question it she found herself being lead out of the room along with the others.

To everyone's surprise the rest of the Mikaelson siblings were gathered on the other side of the door. Finn, Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik all stood there looing slightly embarrassed at being caught but Naomi knew better. Despite being different in looks and personality one thing the family members shared was their hatred at being left out. They would say anything; do anything to get the upper hand in a situation. So even though they appeared contrite she knew it was an act.

Heavens, even Klaus, the black sheep of the group, stood leaning against the wall. They wanted to hear what was being said but she could not bring herself to be too mad at their eavesdropping. They were her friends after all.

"Calm down my children, give the poor girl some room," chastised Esther. They listened but moved the minimal amount. It was obvious that they were waiting for the announcement.

Finally impatient Rebekah demanded, "Well? What was decided?"

Elijah gave her a droll stare. "Is it not obvious?" The siblings shook their heads. "They said yes, did you expect any different?" At the news they all exploded in celebration.

"I told you so," bragged Rebekah, a huge smile on her face.

"Congratulations," Finn said. He said it politely but Naomi could not discern why he looked sad as he said it.

"I have always wanted another sister," proclaimed Kol. "You are much more fun than Bekah." Said boring sister indignantly slapped him. Kol rubbed his arm. "Well she is."

Klaus merely gave her a smirk before turning around to leave. They had never been extremely close with her like his siblings but they held no ill will against each other either.

To wrap up an already fabulous evening Elijah grabbed her hand. Confused she looked up only for him to pull her into his waiting embrace. "Love you," he whispered.

She was too overcome to answer with words but her actions said it all. _As I love you, my sweet Elijah._


	8. Chapter 8

**Ugh, sorry this chapter is so boring but the really juicy stuff is for next time. Oh, and be aware some time jumps are coming up soon. By the way was anyone else disturbed at the scene where Klaus and Haley hooked up on last night's episode? Gross - Team Klaroline all the way!**

The announcement of their courtship had been made immediately the next day after Elijah and Naomi had talked with his parents. For the most part it everyone was much more excepting than she had thought they would be. After seeing the two of them interact though, they had posed no objections. There were some families that refused to recognize the match but Elijah had reassured her that in time they would come around.

After that everyone in the village was much more focused on preparing for an upcoming visit from a neighboring clan's dignitary, Ivan Alexander. He was held in high esteem among the villagers who saw him as a wise, just ruler second only their own leader, Mikael. Ivan was due on the eve of the full moon, only two days away. Throughout the village food, lodging, and entertainment had to be in order. Mikael had told them of the importance of the visit and they were all eager to comply.

Elijah was the eldest son and was expected to help welcome Ivan when the time came. For the first time he was also invited by his father to sit in on the meetings that would take place between the two older men. He was excited to be receiving more duties so by extension she was happy too.

As for Naomi, she could not see why they were all so excited. He seemed like just another man to her. Besides, she was too busy reveling in the ambiance of love. However the importance of the event left little time for them to spend together. He had been helping his father with diplomat formalities while her mother and her had been busy helping make the food. So she was extremely happy when Elijah had come to her unexpectedly to tell her that he had made arrangements to go on an outing later that afternoon.

It was a joyful business for her because it would be their first outing as an official couple. Her mood was so cheerful that she had told him to pick the location, that she would be happy as long as they were together. Without further ado he helped her onto a horse and off they went, dashing into the woods. When he stopped them her jaw could not help but drop. Their destination was a spot that she had never come across before: the thick trees cleared up to reveal a grassy meadow complete with a glistening brook trickling through it center.

"Whenever did you discover this place?"

He smiled and put his hand on her lower back guiding her to where a blanket was set up with a variety of food and drink. "I needed to get away from my father for a short bit; this meeting is important to him and when he gets anxious he becomes... unmanageable, at least for me. While walking through the forest to clear my thoughts I happened to find this place. And as a side note Rebekah wishes me to tell you that our lunch was made as a courtesy from her." He stopped talking to wave his hand at everything in front of her. "So what are your thoughts, my love?""

"I think that it is perfect," she said overcome with happiness.

Pulling him forward, she wrapped her arms around his strong waist and gave him a hug. After a few seconds she released him and they started in on their lunch. Naomi drew in a moan at the succulent sandwich she had just taken a bite out of. She would have to give Bekah her compliments later.

They finished the meal in silence and settled into comfortable positions on the grass.

"Elijah?" she asked.

"Hmm?" he responded from where he laid down on a lightly sloping hill with his arms behind his head, his eyes shut.

"Why is Ivan Alexander so important to your father?"

He sighed and opened his eyes. He seemed to think about it before answering. She did not mind.

It was the start of spring and all around the sun illuminated the forest, reflecting off of the water. It was a time of thawing and rebirth. It was spring.

"Well," he started, "You know that his village is our closest allies? It was him who decided to cooperate with my father to resolve the issue of the werewolves. That is the purpose of their meeting-to finish the hunting plans before the beasts are purged from our land."

Mention of the problem made Naomi sit up quickly. "Wolves, as in more than one?"

Elijah nodded grimly. "And it is growing worse. Only last week three more victims were discovered and had to be disposed of."

She cringed. By disposed of he could only mean killed. Logically she knew they would only cause harm should they be allowed to live but still. Added with memories of her nightmare, she found the whole thing very unsettling.

"That is why this meeting is so important to my father, to me, to the village really.

There was really only one thing to say in response. "It is no wonder that you were so troubled."

He chuckled at her attempt to lighten the issue. Getting to his hands and knees he crawled through the grass to get to her. Looking at her loving green eyes he bent his head down to give her a kiss. She returned it at first but pulled away.

"No, we mustn't. It is not proper and I am sure that your parents have sent spies to watch us." To prove her pint she looked straight at the surrounding trees.

"I do not care," he said. "Let them watch."

Melting at his brazen words and even bolder actions she found herself returning the kiss in earnest.

X-X-X-X-X

As it was said, Ivan Alexander arrived on the day preceeding the new moon. His caravan was nothing spectacular instead erring on the side of simplicity. He brought with him two more men, both of who were tall and muscular. They brought no cart, no horses just a pack that each wore across their backs. Village people lined the walkways cheering all the while. He would wave his hand and smile politely in response before continuing his walk to the main house in the settlement, that of the Mikaelson's.

Now a partial member of the family Naomi was invited to wait with the rest of the family at the house. Everyone stood dressed up in their best wardrobe when Mikael received the message that Ivan was making his to the house. Gracefully everyone arranged themselves accordingly with Mikael and Esther up front surrounded by Elijah and Naomi on one side and Finn on the other, the rest of the children behind their parents.

All the others were still and patient and Naomi felt out of place with her nervous habits; a brush of her hair here, a twist of her hands there. Her dress was smoothed over countless times until she felt a kick at the back of her leg. Turning around she saw it was Rebekah who was at present giving her a glacial look.

Naomi huffed. Not everyone it seemed was accustomed to greeting powerful figure everyday. This was her first encounter with one that did not belong to the Mikaelson family. She reserved the right to have nerves. Sticking her tongue out at the blond girl she made Bekah slightly grin.

Repeating a calming mantra in her head she did not feel a larger hand grasp hers until she felt it squeeze. Without looking she could have guessed it to be Elijah but was still presently surprised to see that it was him. Her life was so prefect in her own eyes that she sometimes feared that it would all turn out to be fake. Elijah knew this to some extent and often had to reassure her through physical checks.

"Mikael," called out a deep voice. Walking forward the imposing figure turned to address the rest of the family formally before taking a bow. Naomi drew in a breath. Ivan Alexander.

"Ivan, you are most welcome here." Coming off the stairs Mikael gave Ivan a pat to the back. The visiting guest gave a hard slap of his own before he asked to be shown where he and his men would be staying.

"Most certainly, then we can discuss matters in my private room." He turned around and beckoned to his eldest son. "Come Elijah, you can help the men with their bags."

Giving what she hoped was a reassuring smile, she missed his presence as he hurried to catch up to the men.

"Come along my children, leave to men to themselves." Being dismissed by Esther the family members scattered except Bekah and Kol. Presumably they lingered to stay with Naomi. Sure enough the two younger siblings each grabbed one her hands, leading her towards Bekah's room.

"So Naomi-"

"How is the romance with our dearest brother Elijah?"

"Kol!" Mad that he interrupted her Bekah gave him a good whack on the head.

"Ouch," he complained, rubbing the affected area.

She stuck her tongue out before turning back to her friend who remained quiet through their arguing. Judging by the amused look on her face Naomi found their fight humourous. In her opinion the two were the funniest pair of all the Mikaelson siblings.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, are you excited to go attend the festival tonight?"

In honor of their visiting guest the town was hosting a gathering later that evening, complete with a meal and dancing.

"Of course," replied Naomi. "You know that I love spending time with Elijah. I just hope that he has time for me." She got a worried look on her face.

"Pssh, I would not worry darling," dismissed Kol with a wave of his hand. "My brother cannot seem to keep his eyes from you." His brown eyes dropped to her lips. "Among other things."

Naomi blushed and sputtered. This was highly embarrassing. "How do you know?"

"I have my ways darling."

Rebekah stood with a jealous look on her face. "How _did_ you find out? My senses are much more attuned to gossip compared to yours."

Smiling he lead both girls into his room where the three continued their discussion long into the afternoon. They were surprised when a glance out the window revealed that it was much later than they had realized. It was time for the party.


	9. Chapter 9

**Yay, it's the chapter that we've all been waiting for! At least I hope so. For me this has always seemed like such a dramatic scene, one that wasn't fully explored in the show. And just to confirm the time jump will happen next chapter: be prepared for some 1400's storyline. It's the longest chapter in the story up to ate so as always enjoy :)**

When the sun set that evening no one could have predicted how it would unfold. At the exact moment the sun's light disappeared through the trees, Mikael declared the gathering officially started.

"My friends, "he started. "Joining us this evening is Ivan Alexander, a dear adversary, and together we shall put an end to the werewolf problem, once and for all!"

Everyone cheered as was expected.

"A toast to us, your leaders, that we may be successful."

Naomi thought it a little silly that he called on the audience to make the toast but that the only persons that held glasses were the Mikaleson's, Alexander, and herself. Never the less everyone returned the salutation full heartedly, eager to enjoy the event's entertainment.

Villagers were fully enjoying themselves: eating the deliciously prepared food, gathering around to tell stories, dancing animatedly on the impromptu dance area. Meanwhile the ever bright full moon rose to its place high in the sky, casting a delicate glow over the jovial festivities.

The Mikaleson's, along with Ivan and Naomi, were seated on a raised dais. As the ruling family they had certain appearances to keep up. The separation, as miniscule as it was, gave the impression that though they had planned the event that they were somehow aloof. Upon closer inspection, however, the façade began to break.

To the naked eye they all looked proper as they should be. But here and there subtle movements gave it away. The twitch in Kol's fingers. The desire in Rebekah's eyes as they gazed over the dancers. The instinct Naomi and Elijah had to hold hands, only to remember that they were in public. But the most obvious was the quick glances over at their parents every few seconds. Mikael and Esther chose not to respond to the impatient looks that they were receiving from their children.

Finally after an appropriate amount of time Mikael nodded, dismissing them from their duties. Immediately Kol jumped from the platform to find the nearest group of girls. Right behind him was Bekah who, giving Naomi a small wave, grabbed the hand of her younger brother Henrik and left. As usual Klaus in his quiet, mysterious manner disappeared without a word followed by his older brother. In true Finn fashion he paused to nod to his parents in a sign of loyalty, throwing a wavering smile at Naomi. The he was gone.

Naomi smiled, happy that they were finally getting to enjoy themselves. From behind her chair she saw a pair of callused hand grip the sides of her chair, the tickle of minty breath at her neck. Knowing already who it was perched next to her, she pretended not to notice.

"May I have this dance?"

With exaggerated grandeur he bowed, extending his hand towards her.

Unable to resist, she smiled placing her hand in his. Leading her to the dance area, he unexpectedly directed her away from the gobs of people. Near the edge of the dance he turned around to put them into waltzing position. She looked at him, questioning his choice of location.

"Is there anything wrong with wanting to spend private time with my lady?"

"No, I would suppose not," she grinned. Placing her hands around his neck, he lead their modest waltz. Music played in the background, providing a graceful melody for their gentle swaying. The secluded area shielded them somewhat from prying eyes just as Elijah had thought it would. Happy to be in the presence of the one she loved she laid her head on Elijah's strong chest. In response he gathered her closer until their dancing turned into a mere side to side movement.

Twirling in Elijah's arms it was so easy for her to forget the reality. Here, in this time, this space, there were no werewolves that needed hunting, no vicious girls like Tatiana. No, there was only her and him. She wanted the moment to never end, becoming extremely disgruntled when a servant of the Mikaelson family interrupted them.

He was a younger man, maybe twenty years if Naomi had to guess. "Excuse me, sire," the nervous boy spoke. "But your father desires your presence at the main house. There is to be a meeting there shortly."

Elijah sighed in slight annoyance. "Very well, I will be there."

The servant ran off and while Elijah looked apologetically at her. "I am sorry my love-"

"Do not be. After all this is what the party was for. Go, do not mind me, I will look for Bekah."

She tried to put on a brave face but she was still disappointed that Elijah had believed her so easily. As his woman she knew that she could not keep him from his responsibilities to the village. It was what he was destined to become after all, once Mikael had passed on. Short a dance partner, she wandered looking around at the other attractions, determined not to mope the rest of the night. Luckily there was a wide assortment of activities, which she found delightful. A drama being performed to a captivated audience, craft demonstrations for the children, even Lady Ayana was present this night with a set of tarot cards. It was widely known among the people of the village that she was a witch but still, everyone loved her. Having not spoken to her in sometime she decided to stop by.

"Good evening, Lady Ayana," she called walking up to the older woman.

"Hello child. Here, here, have a seat."

Happy to see a familiar face, she sat without pretense. One of Esther's dearest friends, Ayana was beautiful with her dark skin and exotic looking eyes. She hardly looked her age, a fact that many attributed to her great powers as a witch. As soon as Naomi was fully seated she was given the future reading cards. Turned on their backs, Ayana instructed her to choose three, that they would tell what waited for Naomi in the future. Nervous but eager, she followed the direction without question. She drew a lovers card first, a man and a woman holding hands. Secondly a chariot of some sort, followed by a crumbling tower. Even for one who did not practice magic it was no hardship to know the first card represented Elijah and her. The other two remained a mystery though.

Luckily Ayana was there to explain it for her. "The first card means love, which I do not think you need to be told." Naomi blushed but shook her head. Ayana then spoke of the remaining cards, looking a little concerned. "The chariot represents great change that it coming to your life soon and the second..." she looked up at Naomi. "Well, the tower means destruction, ruin, death."

Naomi started in shock. She had known Ayana long enough to know that the woman would not be so mean as to jest about so serious a matter. And even more disturbing to her, the witch was never wrong. Already she looked at Naomi with pity in her eyes. She was overwhelmed, she needed some space.

"Good night, Ayana. I hope you enjoy yourself."

Without waiting any further she turned and left. Everywhere she turned there were people, all of whom were happy and without a care in the world. In her current frame of mind she could not stand to be around the merry atmosphere. Brushing past the villagers she turned to go to the forest. Walking slowly but resolutely she ran her fingers over the cool, chipped tree bark. The usual noises that filled the forest were silenced, probably by the presence of nearby humans she thought. Still it was just the silence she needed to think in.

"You there, stop."

Naomi rolled her eyes. Well the quiet was nice while it lasted. Additionally she did not much care for the voice speaking to her. She twisted around to answer the voice. "Hello Tatiana."

The dark featured girl stepped out from the shadows. Despite the rising tension both remained calm and speechless. At last, Tatiana revealed her intentions.

"You will be happy to know that my family and I are prepared to leave the area this very evening."

Happy on the inside Naomi was still stunned. The Petrova's were one of the most prominent families here. Why would they want to give their status up? She decided to wait until Tatiana explained further.

"Yes, it seems that my father was not pleased at your little announcement with Elijah."

More silence yet until she finally found her voice. "How do you mean?"

At this Tatiana barely contained her ire. "It would be pointless to stay here after he chose you. Everyone knows that Elijah does not change his mind lightly therefore dashing my chances at becoming the head of this mealy village. My father agreed and so we are leaving to find another place where my luck might be better received."

Was the girl mad? She was leaving just because she felt that she would never becoming a ruler of the village? Naomi was filled with disgust but found that it was not all that surprising. It fit right in with Tatiana cruel, superficial personality.

"I wish you only luck on your journey," she said. "Although I am sorry that I am the cause of your move."

Tatiana's nostrils flared but she remained otherwise controlled.

"Consider this goodbye," she said icily. Her piece said the Petrova turned around and receded back into the obscure wood.

Good riddance thought Naomi. There was not love lost between the two of them, they had never gotten along. But she would admit that the talk had calmed her down some. Sure, Ayana was never wrong in her predictions of the future but Naomi was choosing to interpret them in a good way. After all change was not always an omen and maybe the ruin that spoken referred to Tatiana's situation. Yes, the more she reflected on it, the more sense it made. _See_ she told herself. _There is not need for worry._

Looking around she decided that she had stayed away from the party long enough. It was time to return. Surely Elijah would worry for her if she stayed away too long. Unfocused she wandered back the full moon lighting her way. Close to the clearing she froze thinking she had heard something. Screams. Springing into action she picked up her dress skirts and ran as fast as she could. She knew it was reckless to run unknowingly into danger but something was clearly wrong. Terrified she tripped over her own feet as she broke through the forest. Slowly she raised her head.

Bodies. Everywhere around her there were bodies carelessly strewn about the ground. Naomi saw with horror that they all hand giant gashes on her chests and faces. Gashes that looked like claw marks. Numb she got up desperately hoping that one of her love ones was not one of the unfortunate souls that was lying on the cold ground, mutilated. Daring to hope when she did not see her mother or any of the Mikaelson's she froze when she neared the dais. Its earlier brilliance was tarnished by blood stains and tears in the sturdy material. And at the foot of the structure was the bodies of six Mikaelson children.

Moisture flowing down her face she dropped to her knees at the carnage. Unlike the others though they were missing the marks, all of them expect for Henrik, whose chest was riddled with horrible gouge marks. The remaining children were untouched expect for a clean wound to the heart. She knew that it should bother her, the difference in deaths, but at the moment she could not function. Especially when she spotted Elijah. His body now lifeless, he still gripped his heavy sword even in death. Crying out she went to him, devastated when she knew there was nothing she could do. He was gone, they all were.

Digging her fingers into the ground she pulled herself away. She needed to get home to check on her mother. God forbid... no she thought. Do not think of it. So wrapped in her thoughts she did not notice the standing figure until she ran into the person. Trough her tears she recognized Esther.

"Oh, Esther," she cried. "It is horrible! E-e-everyone is dead!" Weak, she grabbed onto Esther's legs.

The blond woman kindly knelt down to Naomi. She brushed the hair from her splotchy face. "Do not fear child," she counseled. "All will be right soon, you will see."

Naomi lifted her head. The woman's children lay dead not two feet from them and all she could say was not to worry? "But-"

With amazing quickness Esther turned her around, pinning her arms at her side. Walking steadily toward her was Mikael, a wicked dagger in his hand. Naomi struggled to free herself but could not break Esther's hold.

"Shh," the woman whispered to her. Naomi gasped in pain as Mikael bent down to stab her straight through the heart. Gripped by a mixture of pain and shock she saw herself hit the ground when Esther finally released her. She could hear them talking above her but could not understand their words. Propped up by Mikael, Esther poured a liquid into her mouth. It tasted off- like salt and metal- but with her strength draining she had no choice but to swallow.

"It is finished," said Esther.

"W-why," Naomi gasped.

Esther looked at her apologetically. "I am sorry. Truly I am, but this was the only way to save my family. Elijah would never be strong enough to survive without you, so your bond left me no choice. When you wake up you will see."

She placed a kiss on Naomi's chilling forehead. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

Leaving Naomi alone, she turned to her husband who handed the knife to her. With understanding in his eyes he remained still as Esther stabbed him as well. It was the last thing she saw before Naomi felt the last of her soul slip through her body.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate all the support. ****Any way, this chapter I decided to try something different. It's kind of a blend of Naomi's narrative & summary of what the other characters are up to. Keep in mind that it's during the 1400's. So yeah, hope you guys lie it. Oh, and I might be thinking about writing another TVD story but I'll tell you guys more about as I work on it some more. **

When Naomi opened her eyes, really opened them, everything was different. Her eye sight was sharper. Her sense of hearing and smell increased tenfold. Physically she was unstoppable with improved strength and speed. It turned out that vampirism had strengthened all of her senses to make her immune to death, make her the perfect predator.

In the beginning it had been difficult for all of them. As the first vampires the world had ever seen, they had no knowledge about this new life. Their limits, while few, were crippling and had been almost impossible to circumnavigate. But the worst, by far, was the inescapable blood lust. Anytime they came into contact with a human it was instinct to feed, blood being their source of life. Unable to resist Mikael and Esther decided it was best if they left the village. After the slaughter at the party,the last thing the surviving villagers needed was another mass killing. Naomi saw the reason in this decision but it was still difficult to say goodbye to her mother.

Things did get better, though. A stone was discovered that allowed them to venture into the sun without being burnt. As long as it was somewhere on their body, they remained unaffected. The feeding frenzy became manageable the more time was spent around humans. The few threats left, mainly vervain and wood from the white oak tree, were avoided and, in the case of the latter, destroyed.

Currently it was twilight, the special time between sunlight and the moon's glow. Naomi perched on top of a tree branch in the near darkness. She knew that her fears of the sun were silly, that it was impossible to be harmed now that she wore the lapis lazuli stone. Still, when she went out in the day it was hard to forget the searing burns that she had received from the sun. She felt most comfortable going out during times like this. It was possible to see the last of the sun's rays but a portion of shade was always readily available.

Slowly the last of the light disappeared over the landscape and Naomi waited, excitement in her eyes. Feeding on and ultimately killing humans had always bothered her, even when she was in the midst of blood lust. A century had passed before any of them were able to reign in its terrible effects. Now that she had a choice in the matter, she decided that she wanted to try something new. Of course the others all scoffed or laughed. Even Elijah looked at her with doubt in his eyes although he would never say it out loud.

She wanted to see if it was possible to live off of animals rather than people.

It was something that she was much more familiar with, not to mention that it would stir up less trouble than leaving bodies behind. The first few times had ended in failure; the taste was heavy and bitter in her mouth making it hard to swallow. Naomi was determined that she would master it, however.

Hearing a noise approaching in the distance, she held her breath. Sure enough a buck poked its head out from behind a cluster of bushes. Curious it lifted its snout in the air and sniffed. When it didn't detect anything it wandered out into the open. It must be young thought Naomi. Otherwise it would've smelled her instantly. Knowing that it wasn't going anywhere she was content to let it graze for a while, reflecting on the past.

Due to the immense hardships, Naomi and Elijah's relationship had been postponed temporarily. Not that the attraction hadn't been there because it was, even more so than before. It seemed that everything, not just their bodies, had been amplified from the change. They had both agreed in unspoken words that it would be best if they waited until they learned to control their natures, for the time being. Kisses and secret embraces were stolen but nothing serious. When the novelty of being vampires slowly weaned they were ready to try again. To Naomi's surprise, Elijah had proposed shortly after their two hundredth year as members of the supernatural. Of course she answered yes. They were both ready to progress the relationship.

Elijah had become much more realistic since that night. Now that there was no chance that he would ever become the head of a village he was continually trying to discover a purpose in this very long life. His morals had become even stronger as a result of their curse which made Naomi think he could be talented in a position of law. Though he made sure to tell her every morning and every night that if it weren't for her, he didn't know what he would've become. She brushed it aside as flattery but at times it was hard to ignore the truth in his voice.

Rustling sounds broke her out of her thoughts but she relaxed when she realized it was simply the deer. Head close to the ground it moved over to a different patch of grass.

Vampirism was both the best and worst thing to happen to the Mikaelson family. Poor Henrik was attacked by the wolves before the change could take hold. His death was a tragic blow to the family, but the curse also prevented any of the other vampires from dying off.

Shortly after the change it was revealed that Mikael was not Klaus father. The middle son was the offspring of an unknown werewolf but they all secretly suspected that it might be Ivan Alexander. Upon finding out Klaus had gone into a rage killing Esther in the process. When casting the spell she unknowingly blinded the other half of his heritage, leaving him feeling like he was a half person.

Mikael instantly hated the boy feeling that he was the physical proof of his wife's infidelity. That night was the last that any of them saw Mikael. Nervousness plagued them all, not knowing when or where he would appear. And there was no doubt, he would be back.

Finn was much the same: loyal to his family to a fault. Out of all the children he was the one who held the most anger towards Klaus for killing their mother. Probably the only thing keeping him from taking revenge was his strong sense of loyalty. That and the fact that they couldn't be killed.

Her friend Rebekah was the child that was closest to her original personality. Underneath the blond, scheming exterior she was still a kind hearted, willing to do anything for family or a friend. Only now she had developed an icy air that hadn't been there before. Naomi felt that it was partially from Esther's death but it wasn't something she could ask. None of the Mikaelson's liked to talk about her death. Despite this the two girls were as close as ever. Perhaps even more so since Naomi had officially become part of the family, now going by the title, Mrs. Mikaelson.

Kol had gone to the other extreme. His previously light hearted manner transformed into something darker. Sarcasm was now in almost every statement he made, his emotions much more volatile. A calm person in the past, anger was now always close to the surface. To everyone besides her, that is. He still got a little crass sometimes but his softer side also came out in spades. It was her hope that he would continue to make improvements in order to become who he was before.

But no matter how much the family was forever altered they still supported each other to a certain extent. Hence why they let her experiment with the animal blood.

Every moment she spent watching the deer she became more ravenous until she was practically salivating. The thick veins under her eyes grew more pronounced, her pupils dilated becoming a dark burgundy. Sharp, white fangs lowered from her mouth as the final step in the transformation. Growls built in her chest, making the deer pause and look up. Faster than was humanly possible she speed over towards the frightened buck. Going in for the kill she aimed for the pulsating throat.

Moon shining high in the night sky, she easily penetrated the herbivore's skin, like a knife cuts through butter. Proud of herself she reared back blood dripping down her chin. Licking her fangs she kicked he carcass away, smoothing out her dress. This time she was able to fully digest the blood. She smiled in relief before she noticed the stains on her dress. Animals were more difficult to drink from. Shrugging, she disappeared back into the shadows. Since drinking the animal blood was a success, she thought of a new goal. Learn how to feed without making a mess of her wardrobe.

**Tears! It was terrible, I know, but have no fear things will be back to my normal style for the next chapter. Feel free to comment :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello readers! As promised, here is chapter 11. And just as an observation, don't you think things have been going a little too well? Hint, hint. Read on to find out :)**

Nervous eyes peered up at the high noon sun from the shadows of a building alley. Taking a breath for courage Naomi moved her hands towards the light. A sigh of relief broke free when the sun touched her skin and didn't burn it. Smoothing her hair she picked up her skirts and walked out into the village street.

Rationally she knew that her fears were unnecessary - the lapis lazuli pendant across her neck gave her unparalleled protection. Still, when she went anywhere during the day the harsh memories followed. It was hard to forget the cruel agony of having her skin incinerated, melting away in the sun's presence. Elijah and the others had assured her the stone's powers were unbreakable, she had even proven herself wrong constantly, but still... it was a challenge for her.

Especially when she was by herself. Although when she thought about the reason why her husband wasn't with her, she smiled.

Today was Elijah and Naomi's two hundredth anniversary. This exact day those two centuries ago, Elijah had proposed to her. She readily accepted despite knowing that it was a little sudden; they hadn't been a couple for the previous hundred years, after all. Knowing that still didn't stop her from saying yes though. It was something that she had yearned for countless years.

When she woke up in their bed this morning Elijah had already gone. Naomi was a little disappointed but her mood improved on finding a note from him. It was short and to the point, contradicting Elijah's normally romantic wording, and detailed his absence. Evidently he would be gone the rest of the day preparing for a surprise that she would receive later on. She was to enjoy herself before meeting him back at their house once the night took over, at seven o'clock or so.

Remembering back, she smiled. The note may not have sounded like him but the plans were so Elijah. He was forever being teased by Klaus and Kol for his 'womanly antics' but she adored that side of him. It showed that he truly cared for her.

Presently they were in a neighboring town to their old village, now called Mystic Falls. All the Mikaelson's still lived together with the expectations of Mikael,Esther, and Rebekah. Not that Rebekah didn't love her brothers, because she did, but she preferred to retain her independence choosing to visit whenever she saw fit. And visits were a common occurence given that her home was only on the opposite side of town.

Having five vampires all in the same residence sometimes felt unbearable; the constant feuding and close proximity made keeping secrets almost impossible. That being said, Naomi knew that the siblings would have it no other way. They didn't agree over everything but in the end they were family, the only family that they had left. Not wanting to risk any more death, they always apologized,eventually, and made it a point to try to spend time together.

Today Klaus and Kol were on a hunting trip and Finn was making his way back from a sudden trip. That left Rebekah who was making herself scare, probably under her oldest brother's orders. It felt a little strange to be left alone, she was usually in the company of at least one of the other vampires, but today it didn't bother her. It was her day and she was glad that there wouldn't be anything unexpected.

Passing the time by she went into several local shops for trivial things like dress browsing and food. None of them were things she really needed, the Mikaelson's had a large sum of money which was put to good use by Rebekah, who bought everyone's wardrobe, and while food was nice she really only needed blood to survive, making her stops just that. Browses. Still it was only noon and she had several hours until Elijah would be ready. Breathing out heavy she wandered into a shop that she didn't recognize. _It was must new._

A bell tinkled overhead when she opened the door. The decor was rather simple: a cashier station and several aisles of goods with a couple of paintings on the walls. She wasn't able to discern what trade the store dealt in so she moved to look through the shelves. Ribbons and trim flowed from wicker baskets and sheets of cloth were grouped by color, also lying in baskets. A textile outlet she quickly guessed. No other kind of store would have such a need for so much cloth. intrigued she sifted through the cloth bins. Maybe a new dress for tonight was exactly what she needed. If bought something it would only give her a few hours to make a new outfit, but being alive over two hundred years she had mastered the art of dress creation.

Knowing that purple was her favorite color, she immediately sought them out. Beautiful violets and delicate lavenders were a pleasant sight, cascading from the holding bins. Each was gorgeous, coming in several different materials ranging from cotton to lace. Silk was the obvious choice for her. At one time she would have have reservations about buying it so rashly. Not any more though. Marrying into the Mikaelson family had its advantages, money being one of them. Without a second thought she made her decision. Now to find the right shade...

"Is there anything that I can help you with?"

At the sound of a sweet female voice Naomi turned around. The shop attendant had returned, it seemed. She was short, even more so than Naomi which was quite an accomplishment, with straight black hair and clear blue eyes.

"No, I'm merely browsing. Today is my anniversary of marriage," Naomi said proudly.

The older woman smiled back. "congratulations my lady. If you decide on something I will be at the front desk."

Going their separate ways Naomi continued looking at the purple fabrics. Moving the ones that she couldn't imagine wearing to the side, she was shocked when she saw an lilac. In disbelief she snatched it, running her fingers over it. The material was an exact color match the dress that she had worn all those years ago, the night she had been turned. All her years as one of the undead she had never found one similar to it but this one was identical. Even the softness was the same she mused.

Holding it up to the light she sighed when the sun hit it just right to turn it into an icy color. It was decided then, this is the dress she would wear tonight. Gathering the yards of fabric into her hands she went to find the store attendant. She became almost giddy at the thought of Elijah seeing her in it. Surely he remembered just as well as she did. And if she recalled, he had called her beautiful a multitude of times that night.

Seeing what Naomi held her in hands, the woman held her hands out. "It's a lovely choice," she complimented. "We only received it earlier this week and have already had lots of young girls in here, admiring it. It seems as if you will finally be the one to buy it though."

"Yes," agreed Naomi, "It is. I had one just like, a long time ago and find myself drawn to it."

Silence fell as the worker looked up the price in the store's record book. Realizing something Naomi started talking again.

"Are you new to town? I don't believe that I have seen your face before."

"Yes, my family and I came this town only a few weeks ago and this store has been opened even less."

"How many are in your family?" Naomi asked curiously.

"Five, my lady. My husband and I, and our three children."

It was obvious from the woman's tone that she was proud of her family. Naomi could respect that, having long excepted that she would never bear any children in her undead state. When that was one's reality, family became that much more important.

Wrapping Naomi's purchase in a plastic cover, she handed it over. "Have a nice day."

Naomi returned the thanks before turning towards the door. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name," she suddenly called out.

"Petrova," answered the woman without hesitation.

The mere mention fo the name froze Naomi in her spot. Petrova? No, it couldn't be. Not _those_ Petrovas. Naomi knew that Tatiana's family had moved away from Mystic Falls, knew that they had been for centuries. Refusing to have her happiness disturbed she relaxed when she saw the features of the woman in front of her. She looked nothing like the family from Naomi's past. They had been tall and tanned unlike the short, pale features of the attendant. Using all her abilities as a vampire, she caught herself from making a scene.

"That's a lovely name," she lied through a fake smile. Saying no more she left, hoping to put the incident behind her. How embarrassing, she thought. Even after such a long time it seemed that she still hadn't forgiven Tatiana.

XxXxXxXxX

The sun went down just as Naomi was finishing the touches on her dress. Some days it paid to have supernatural speed. Admiring her finished dress she twirled in front of a full length mirror, happy with the way the ruffles caught on the air. They were something she had always struggled with. She quickly applied her make-up, far from the clumsy user she had once been, and closed the bedroom door behind her. As a vampire she didn't get cold so there was no reason to wear a jacket any more, not unless she was in the company of humans.

Elijah, of course, was no human.

Happiness radiating from her body she went to wait outside. The other family members still hadn't returned, so she could have waited in the house, but she wanted to surpirse Elijah. The moon hung full and bright in the dark sky, looking mesmerizing. Tapping her toes, she tried to be patient as she waited on her husband. Gradually seconds gave way to minutes, then an hour. Naomi furrowed her brow in thought. This was highly suspicious; Elijah was never late, priding himself on punctuality. Not ready to panick she floated back into the house. It wasn't unusual for him to use the back entrance.

Yes, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed likely. He probably needed a few extra moments to prepare and had taken the back door to sneak past her. Listening intently for any sound that might give him away she walked through the halls. Hearing a scrapping noise within the parlor room she placed her ear right against the door. At the sound of Elijah's blessed voice she allowed herself to smile. Running her hands over her dress one last time, she fixed her hair before putting her hand on the handle.

Abruptly a raspy female voice came from the same room.

Her hand halted on the handle. It wasn't someone she recognized. Added with the fact that Elijah was with this woman alone, behind closed doors, on their anniversary night, Naomi felt extremely wary. Not wanting to give away her presence just yet, she soundlessly cracked open the door.

What she saw in front of her caused her brain and body to shut down.

Not only was Elijah kneeling before the woman, passionately kissing her, the woman appeared to be no other than Tatiana Petrova.

**Oh no, Tatiana's back! Or is she? Just as a warning things are about to spiral into depressing mode. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys, thank you all so much for the support!** **I hope it continues even though things are gonna be different with the plot line now. Enjoy! **

1400s

Naomi stood in disbelief, betrayal stinging hard. Unbelievably, the engrossed couple didn't even notice her standing there. Rage taking hold she slammed the door open as she stormed in, making her presence known. Finally they seemed to recognize that they were not alone, but the speed at which they pulled apart was still too slow for Naomi's taste.

She stood there waiting for an explanation.

Elijah merely remained where he was, unwilling to talk, unwilling to move. He was unconcerned that his wife of two hundred years had caught him cheating with another woman. And a Petrova, no less.

"Well?" she questioned.

Tat – no, she couldn't bear to even think the name. The _woman_ put her hand on Elijah's shoulder and he blinked. She bent down to whisper in his ear before giving him a shove forward. Almost as if she was encouraging him to speak up.

Naomi's upper lip curled in a snarl.

"There is no need for anger, Naomi," he explained to her calmly. His nonchalance was almost her undoing. Surely their relationship meant more than the Petrova whore.

_It does to me any way…_

"Your duties as my wife are no longer necessary. I have found my true heart and I will be much happier with her than I could ever be with you."

The cruel, careless words gutted her from the inside out. Choked with tears, she was fueled by scorn.

"Elijah!" she screamed. The next one came out in a whispered plead. "Elijah."

If her tears hadn't come on so strongly then she would have noticed Elijah jerk. That gradually his dilated eyes shrunk back to their normal size. Details she might have seen if not for the waves of sorrow. As it was, she _didn't_ see them and they were too subtle to observe once she took control of the streams pouring from her red eyes.

At last he finally looked at her. It seemed he wished to say something.

Why not? Nothing more could make her feel as shattered as she did now. Or so she thought.

Before Elijah opened his mouth the woman behind him wrapped her arms around his strong shoulder. Shoulders Naomi knew very well, she thought bitterly. With a triumphant smirk the whore kissed Elijah again.

That – that... bitch!

Control gone, the prominent veins under her eyes raised and her fangs dropped. For the first time though, it wasn't from hunger or malicious intent. Rather it was hopelessness. Seeing her lips on Elijah's one more time had been the blow that sent her reeling into the abyss.

Elijah growled, recoiling backwards. "Katarina!"

So the girl wasn't Tatiana after all. _Katarina._ She must be a descendent. It made no difference to Naomi. She realized that Elijah and Katarina were arguing but she couldn't bring herself to care. Numbness was the only thing left she could feel, if it could be called a feeling. It was more a response to the horrid scene in front of her.

Thoroughly rejected she spun on her heel and ran with all the speed and grace of the predator she was. Crimson tears fell the whole way.

Behind her Elijah pushed Katarina away, cursing. Jumping up he tore through the halls after Naomi.

He was too late though.

The front doors were wide open and banging against the walls from the strong gusts outside. In further mockery the heavens grumbled before unleashing a torrential down pour without warning. Not caring about anything but finding his wife, he hastily dashed outside hoping to catch her.

He quickly found the conditions would not allow him, even as a vampire. The rain seemed to be falling into his face from every direction, blinding him. Was it possible that it was raining up? It certainly appeared that way. The howling winds prevented success as well. The invisible force backed the rain, simultaneously driving it harder and drowning out any sound of Naomi he might have heard.

Panicked he spun in a circle. His eyes were wide, his breathing coming out in pants from his tightening throat. Red tears mixed with the water as he sunk onto the flooded ground. Hands clenched, the veins in his neck popped out as he tipped his head back and roared.

XxXxXxXxX

Hair plastered to her face Naomi tried to run through the dark woods as quickly as she could. With her high heeled shoes it wasn't easy. Every time she took a step the heel would sink into the mud, momentarily trapping in her in the brown goop.

All the while she would turn her head constantly to make sure that Elijah wasn't following her. She was so emotionally drained that she didn't know what she would do if she saw him just now. That thought greatly disturbed her. In this states, what was she capable of?

No wanting to find out she kept with her routine of running and looking over her shoulder.

Darkness all around she continued her flight for a long time, not knowing where she was going. Soon enough Rebekah's lavish house came into view. Subconsciously she must have known that she desperately needed her friend right now. Exhausted she slowed into a walk, giving her screaming muscles a reprieve. By her calculations she had run close to six miles. Before she even knocked Bekah was there yelling at her.

"Are you crazy? What kind of person runs brazenly through the woods, especially during a storm? You may be a vampire but there are still things out there that can kill you, you know!"

The tirade fizzled out and Rebekah must have seen Naomi's face. Her tone instantly switched from chastising friend to concerned sister. Draping a fur cloak over her, Bekah guided her into her bedroom bypassing the customary parlor room.

"What happened?"

Naomi looked up, her red tears dangling off her lashes. She tried to speak but found that words wouldn't come out. Instead she heard a dreadful sob, a sound that she had never made before. Immediately she felt soft arms embrace her.

Bekah merely patted her gently on the back, willing to wait until this particular tempest was finished. Eventually Naomi ran out of tears to cry. Sitting up with puffy eyes she wiped her nose on a handkerchief that Rebekah handed to her.

"Are you ready?"

Naomi nodded, pausing a moment to get herself in order. "Bekah it was awful," she whispered with a scratchy throat.

"How do you mean?"

"You are aware that it was my anniversary today. Well, I was at the main house waiting for Elijah so we could celebrate. But when he came home…" She whimpered. "He was with another woman."

"What!" cried Rebekah in outrage. Her normally angelic face turned positively demonic. "My brother was really idiotic enough to commit such an act?"

When Naomi nodded Rebekah screamed for her. "Give me the word Naomi. Say it and I will. End. Him. Your prefect and if he can't see that then doesn't deserve you."

"Even if he's your brother?"

"Even if he is my brother. Men are all the same in some ways."

She pulled Naomi back into her arms. "Well then," she said, placated somewhat. "How are we going to get back at him?"

"We?" questioned Naomi.

"Of course, he _is_ my brother after all. A little torture might be good for him."

The conversation died down while Naomi thought. In her mind there was really only one option. It was childish, yes. A little irrational, yes. And Bekah would surely oppose it but…

"Bekah," she started weakly but with gaining surety. "I think my choice, the only choice, is to leave."

Before she had even finished Rebekah protested. "You can't! Naomi you may not see it but my family needs you. I need you. Elijah too, though he's not acting it. Promise me you'll stay."

But Rebekah gradually realized that Naomi was already decided. She could clearly see it in her determined gaze. Naomi might not be assertive but was completely stubborn when she was convinced of something.

Tears of her own pooled into her eyes as she tried miserably to hold them in but failed.

"I see," she whispered. "This changes things for certain."

Catching Naomi by surprise she hauled them to their feet and gave her a back breaking hug. "I don't agree with it, not at all. But if this is what you want, what you need, who am I to deny you?"

Naomi closed her eyes in relief and returned the hug. "Thank you, my friend."

"Will you stay until morning at least?" Rebekah questioned hopefully. She was met with quiet but the muted answer was all she needed. Naomi was departing tonight. More tears formed.

The two women were silent before they reluctantly separated. "You'll keep in contact?"

Naomi hesitated. She didn't want to lie but she really needed some space right now. "I'll try."

Hand in hand they walked back to the front door of Rebekah's house. Luckily the rain had stopped. Good. It would be much easier for her to travel now.

Taking a breath she turned and hugged Bekah once more. "Explain it to the others," she pleaded. "Especially Kol for he will not understand. And Elijah…" She trailed off without finishing.

"Of course," promised Rebekah.

Gathering her skirts Naomi flitted to the edge of the woods before she could change her mind. She took one last look behind her. Bekah was still standing there, obviously heartbroken. Naomi returned the feeling. She waved with melancholy, whirling into the woods. She didn't know where she would go but she had a feeling that it would be a long while before she returned to Mystic Falls, if ever.

**Dum, dum, duuum. There it is, hope it was a good follow up from last chapter. Be sure to check back soon for ch. 13! It'll be in current day for** anyone** that wants to know. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Yay get ready for modern times! In my vision for this story it kinda lines up with the show starting from season three but not exactly. Any way Naomi's back in Mystic Falls now, enjoy! **

It was amazing how some things never changed. Despite several centuries having passed Mystic Falls looked very much the same to Naomi. Spring was in full swing with lots of sunlight and plant buds, a variety of shops and eateries were scattered along Main Street. Mothers still chased after their small mischievous children while the young adults flocked to one another. Shop owners, taking advantage of the enjoyable weather, tried desperately to attract the crowds of humans into their businesses. Even some of the buildings were the exact same structures that she had known from her time as a young vampire.

Sitting in wooden park bench she was content to observe the every day lives of the humans that now lived in her home town. Naomi felt sorry for them in a way. Ignorance allowed them the façade of normalcy but at the cost of not knowing exactly how horror-filled their world was. Maybe it was better that way, she thought. Better to live with happiness than suspicion and constant paranoia. The humans had nothing to worry about from her though.

Having lived with those emotions for the last hundreds of years, she could emphasize with them. It was no way to live. So she sat there letting the day pass her by, content to just sit and watch the actions around her.

After nearly six hundred years of traveling around the globe, Naomi had finally decided to return to Mystic Falls. She yearned for familiarity and comfort, things she had never been able to find anywhere else no matter how hard she searched. Besides, she was fairly certain that the Mikaelsons were long gone. From this town at least.

While she was gone she had traveled everywhere and anywhere. She had lived all over Europe, visited Asia periodically. Exotic places like the South American Amazon, the Great Barrier Reef in the land down under, and the savannahs of Africa weren't so foreign to her. She had seen them all. But no matter how grandeur or magnificent a place was, she always found herself being pulled back to this town. And for the most part she had resisted the urge, until now.

During the time spent away she occasionally found herself wondering about the Mikaelsons and what was going on in their lives.

Where they were at now. If the family was still together. How had they managed to survive all these years...

And of course, Elijah. She sighed. It pained her to admit it but she wondered about him the most. Even though he broke her heart. Even though he never went after her. Even though he was cruel, selfish bastard.

A passerby gasped in shock as her eyes took on their secondary blood-red hue. Standing faster than the poor mortal could track, Naomi accessed another one of her vampire traits. Compulsion.

"You didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Now turn around and continue with your day."

Without a word the unknown person nodded and went on with her afternoon jog. Naomi sighed as she eyed the park bench. Nothing good ever came from remembering the past and she had been reminiscing in this park for too long. It was time to get out and enjoy what Mystic Falls had to offer. Besides she had friends waiting on her. Knowing what this town was capable of, she had brought a few people with her to ensure that she wouldn't have a relapse and kill half the town. Or something like that. But that would be bad.

After all, it may the source of many bad memories but the one thing she could say about Mystic Falls was that it was never boring.

**I know: it's terribly short. Don't worry this is just an introduction of sorts. The next updates will all be normal length. **


	14. Chapter 14

**So excited for the Originals episode this week! **

Naomi wandered down the street to where her car was parked, swinging her car keys around her fingers the whole way. Like she suspected as soon as she turned her phone back on she was bombarded by missed text messages. Scrolling through all twenty-three texts, she was interrupted when the phone started to looking she knew that there was only one person who would be calling and not texting. Glancing at the screen she rolled her eyes when she saw that she was right. _Derek._

Naomi knew that when she answered she was in for it. To give her a buffer she set the phone aside, buckled herself into the car and pulled out onto the road before pressing 'talk.'

"Hello, Derek."

"Don't 'hi' me, Naomi, where have you been? We've all been worried sick!"

She sighed in exasperation. "I told you this morning that I would be going out for a while. What part of that did you misunderstand?"

"Yeah, you told me alright. Six hours ago!"

Well, it was the truth. When she woke up she announced that she would be gone for a while; that had been at eight. It as now a little after two in the afternoon.

"I agree that I was probably vague about it," she said apologetically.

"You think?" She winced at the accusation in his voice. Derek sighed on the other end. "But I guess I forgive you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" gushed Naomi.

"Only this once though, because I know what memories this place has for you."

He tried playing it down but she knew better. Derek was never one to hold grudges, especially against her. They had been together since she turned him back in the 1920s and they were best friends. It was a fairly balanced friendship: she provided protection and stability and he gave the companionship she so desperately wanted.

"I'm glad," she said. "Other than me disappearing for the day, how are the others doing?"

Seizing the opportunity, he complained about the two other beings that also made the trip to Mystic Falls. "Ugh, don't remind me. Shelby left me here, by my lonesome I might add, and is out trolling the town for you. And Nikolai... Nikolai is... well, you know."

Derek sounded sad at the last part but Naomi didn't press him. She did chuckle though. "Don't worry, he's always comes back. Besides I' driving home right now."

"Yay," he sang. "I thought I heard a car engine in the background."

They exchanged a few more words before hanging up. Tossing the phone to the passenger's seat, she drove the rest of the way in silence. She was surprised to see that she was only five blocks away. She glanced at the seat on her right. Had Derek and her really been talking for that long? That was Derek though. Worried about everyone, loyal to a fault, and a great listener. He always managed to talk the edge off from her problems, it seemed. She opened the garage door with the press of a button.

Gods, she loved that man.

"Any one home?" she called as she walked into the house. Upon her return to Mystic Falls she rented out one of the cheapest homes she could find. It wasn't the most extravagant house she'd ever owned, not by a long shot, but she didn't know how long she would be here. Renting cheap was the safest option if she had to leave abruptly. Besides it came with three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room; it was all any of them needed.

Derek came around the corner and snorted. "Don't even joke like that. You know that I have abandonment issues."

"Come on," she groused. "It was one time back in the 60s and it was an accident. Jeez, aren't you ever gonna let that go?"

"No," he grumbled. "You left me at a creepy subway station and the second you were gone a bunch of hobos tried to get me to buy some marijuana." He frowned. "And I'm pretty sure that one of them tried hitting on me."

Tired of the conversation she had heard a hundred times over, she gave him a hug. "Sorry."

He relaxed when he heard her tone. "It's okay. A little warning is all I ask for."

"Well, that's settled. Are you hungry, do you want to go get something to eat?"

"No, I'm good. While you were gone I was sick with worry, so I drank five blood bags and finished off the cake that Shelby made last night."

Naomi looked at him with humorous concern. "She's gonna kill you. You know that devil's food cake is her favorite."

"I know," he grumbled. "That's why we should still go out any way. You're from here, what does Mystic Falls have to offer?"

She opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. "I'm not sure," she said finally. "The last time I was here was over six hundred years ago and today I just sat a park."

"It's decided then," he announced. "You need to reconnect with your past and I need to make myself scarce so we're going out."

"But I just got back."

Derek stuck his tongue at her. "Fine, then I'll drive," he teased.

"You would dare," she growled. All the places she had lived in, all the people that she had met and the one thing that never left her side, besides Derek, was her prized automobile. The Porsche was electric blue and of the sports variety. In her opinion there was nothing better than barreling down the road over at one hundred and twenty miles per hour. Sure, it was reckless but since it was her only bad habit she indulged herself the feel of its butter smooth leather seats and glossy paint job. She was quiet for a few moments while she thought about what she should do.

Finally, without a word, she gave him an icy stare and headed back to the garage. Derek tried his best to hide his grin. "That's what I thought," he said.

**Really quick, I'd like to thank all you readers that have been reviewing. You're all so nice & every time I see a new one it makes my day :)**


	15. Chapter 15

"You know," said Derek as the two of them walked down the street. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I said let's go out."

"Just be quiet and eat your pretzel."

Heeding Naomi's advice he took a bite. After driving around aimlessly they finally stumbled upon the Mystic Falls History Festival. Derek would rather have gone to a club or some other jovial event but she adored things like this. Booth and displays lined the sidewalks, the streets remaining blocked off so people could on them. The sun had just set too, turning the sky into a murky blend of purples, oranges, and pinks.

Maybe it wasn't Derek's idea of fun but to her it was perfect. History had always been fascinating to her and that of Mystic Falls was even more so since that it was where she had lived.

While she looked around at the different displays Derek continued to comment, in between chewing his soft pretzel. So far she hadn't been able to find anything from her time, though. The earliest dates she had been able to find were from the antebellum period. She rolled her eyes. For the most part humans were unaware that the Norse had been the first to settle the American coast, not the Spanish or the English.

Naomi glanced at some artifacts from the Colonial era. Nope, not even close.

"... and you haven't been listening to me at all, have you?"

She snapped out of her thoughts. "Hmm?"

"Naomi," whined Derek. Putting his emotions aside he observed her seriously. "You were remembering. Remembering how this place used to be."

Naomi stiffened at his guess. "I can't hide anything from you, can I?" she asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Correct. Don't worry though, it's part of my charm."

They continued down the street. To be honest she was surprised at the large turn out of people. In her experience she found that most people described these things as boring. Derek and her actually had to be careful not to carelessly brush up against others in the crowd.

"It's busy," she commented off handedly.

"Yeah, go figure. It doesn't look like it's letting up either, " said Derek. He put his hand over his eyes, looking down the length of the street. Not really necessary since they perfect vision as vampires but it helped to keep up appearances. Suddenly he stopped walking causing her to almost run into him.

"Hey, wait a minute." Naomi looked in the direction he appeared to focusing on but couldn't figure out what had drawn his attention.

"What are you talking about?"

Not saying anything he grabbed the hand and moved swiftly through the crowd. She made a sound of frustration but followed his lead. They approached a booth that had historical jewelry pieces.

"This is what you just 'had' to see?"

"Shut up," he said. "Do you think any of these would go good with my pale completion?" She paused to consider. With inky black hair that reached his ears and clear blue eyes, pretty much anything went with Derek in her opinion. It must be nice to be easy to shop for, she thought. Through her thinking he stood there patiently waiting for a response.

"I don't know," she said on an exhale. "Why don't you stay here and look; I'll go over to the other side and see what I can find." She wandered off and he pounced on the racks that featured bracelets. She would admit that for a girl she wasn't a big shopper. Not that she didn't like to, but she wasn't a browser: Whenever she needed something she knew exactly what she was looking for and got it. Giving the rack a furitive glance she opted to search the tables where jewelry was already laid out. In this section the theme seemed to be charms and necklaces. Sifting through the different designs she found that some were actually kind of might not be the only one buying something tonight.

A glint of silvery blue caught her eye. Picking the necklace up to examine it she saw that it was a braided length with bright blue and soft silver beads intertwined in it. It wasn't something that she normally would have chosen for her friend but this one drew her for some reason. Suddenly she felt movement behind her.

"See anything yet?" asked Derek over her shoulder.

She only then realized that he stood right behind her. His front was right against her back and close enough that when he talked, she could feel the air on her neck. Playfully, she shoved him a couple of feet back.

"Pervert," she accused. "You know I don't like you like that."

"Oh please, you are _so_ not my type." They both looked at each with straight faces. It lasted about ten seconds before they burst out laughing.

"I know," she admitted. "We live together."

"How could I forget. You always hog the TV remote and you never leave me any brownies when we happen to have them."

She laughed again. "In answer to your question, what do you think about this one?" Handing over the necklace to him, she continued searching for something that she wanted. In the background she could hear Derek gushing about the necklace.

"Oh my gosh, it's so pretty. And that the fact that you were the one to find it makes it even better."

She frowned at that. "Why should that make a difference?"

"Because," he said sheepishly, "I may have gotten you something, too." Before he chickened out in embarrassment he tossed a small box to her. Catching it with her vampire speed she opened it. Nestled inside was a slender gold bracelet. The centerpiece was a shinning green gem that matched the color of her eyes. Obviously she hadn't been the only one shopping based off of physical coloration.

"Any way, yeah. Enjoy," he said. Taking their items to the vender they checked out and agreed to return to the house. During the time they had spent walking around the festival the sun had set, chilling the night air. Along the trees lining the sidewalks small, twinkling lights shone creating an illuminating effect.

Slamming the car door, Naomi turned on her headlights and sped off. She didn't really need them but, once again, acting human was important. Each foot that they drove closer to the house the more nervous Derek got. She tried comforting him but she wasn't doing a good job of it.

"Come on, it won't be that bad. It's not like you burned her grimoire, you only ate her cake. What's the worst that she could do to you?"

He made a choking sound. "Well considering that she's a witch, the list is both extensive and terrifying." Naomi had to agree with him there. Shelby was great to have as a friend as long as you stayed on her good side. Get her angry and it was best to watch out.

She made another attempt. "Nikolai won't let her seriously injure you though."

That perked him up. "You're right," he said trying to calm himself down. She didn't stop there however.

"As soon as he gets back I'm sure he will defend your honor and health." Instantly Derek slumped back down into the seat.

"When he gets back. Who knows how long that will take."

Giving him a pat on the back she closed her mouth for good this time. Derek was nervous but she honestly knew that their resident witch wouldn't do anything to him that couldn't be fixed. But until he figured that out it was fun to watch him squirm. It was silent in the Porsche as they pulled into the garage. She turned to engine off and faced Derek. "You can't hide forever. Just apologize and get it over with."

"You're right, I guess," he said reluctantly. Getting their stuff they left the safety of the car. Inside everything was dark and quiet. Maybe Shelby wasn't home yet. She should have known better than to hope though. Abruptly all the lights in the kitchen turned on, blinding them simultaneously.

"So," taunted a saucy female voice. "You actually thought that you could eat my stuff and that I wouldn't find out." A tall imposing, girl entered from the side hall. She leveled her eyes on the only male in the room. "Derek."

Derek started to sweat, just a little. "Shelby, I'm sorry," he started. "I was really lonely and no one was here so I figured-"

"Wrong," she interrupted him. Whispering foreign words, probably Latin, under her breath a small ball of fire manifested in the palm of Shelby's hand. Grinning at Derek she launched it in his direction with surprising accuracy. Yelling he ducked and flitted out of the room. He moved so fast that Naomi couldn't track him.

"You didn't have to scare him that bad," she said. Lowering to sit on top of the table, Shelby laughed mischievously.

"I know but he needed to learn his lesson. Besides I really wanted some of that Devil's food cake."

"I'll make you another one," Naomi snorted.

Shelby smiled in satisfaction before pinning Naomi under a questioning stare. "So where were you all day? Derek called me earlier all hysterical because he couldn't find you."

"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just exploring, was all. But I could ask you the same."

"Not much," the witch shrugged. "Although I did come across another witch or at least the magical signature of another witch."

Naomi raised an eye brow. "I hope you played nice."

"Don't I always? Besides, I didn't actually meet her in person. I'm saving that for another day."

"Okay," she agreed. "Provided that you don't wait too long. Some witches can get real hostile if they come across an uninvited magic user on their lands."

"I know," Shelby said. "Well, it's past my bedtime. See you in the morning." Yawning she left the kitchen. Naomi smiled.

Shelby could be so vicious and yet she worried about small things like going to sleep at a certain time. Oh well, everyone had their idiosyncracies. Who was Naomi to judge. Watching the clock on the stove she saw that it was past eleven thirty; looks like it's everyones bedtime. Getting up, she turned off the lights and got ready to turn in for the night.

**So I see from the reviews that everyone is anxious for Elijah to make his comeback. Have no fear he'll show up again all in due time! Other than that hope you guys liked it. I was a little disappointed in the Originals episode so I took out my frustrations on this chapter. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry this one took so long but there was a lot of plot to cover! Don't worry, the next update should be within the week. **

Outside the window the tranquil cheeps of the neighborhood birds sounded. The early rays of the sun crept through her room. Cracking open an eye Naomi instantly regretted it and tossed a pillow over her face. It was way too early to be this bright. Giving herself a few minutes to adjust to light she slowly removed the pillow and got up to use the bathroom.

When she looked in the mirror she grimaced at her reflection. Underneath her eyes were large, bruise-looking bags. Tufts of blond hair were matted together, sticking up every which way. She must have been more tried last night than she had thought. Picking up a brush she set to work on her blond locks, making sure to wash her face and her teeth, too. Ready for the day she stopped at her closet next, putting on jeans and a t-shirt.

A knock sounded at the door. "Yes?" she said.

Derek didn't come in, opting to talk from the other side of the door instead. "There's breakfast downstiars if you want some."

"I'll be down in a second," she answered.

"Okay." Out in the hall she heard him hesitating as if he were wrestling over something. "By the way," he said. "Shelby seems to be in a good mood this morning. I know you probably had something to do with it, so thanks."

By the time she opened her door he was already gone. Shrugging she went left and walked into the kitchen. A cinnamon bagel sat on a plate along with a small yogurt cup. Not seeing either one of her friends move to grab it she sat down in front of the plate. Grabbing a knife she spread some cream cheese on the bagel and took a bite. Naomi ate breakfast while Derek drank some coffee and Shelby played with her phone. No one spoke but it was a comfortable quiet. Not awkward by any means. Lowering her eyes back down to the table she had another nibble.

Suddenly Shelby broke the silence and made an announcement without taking her concentration off of her phone screen. "Listen, I got an invite for a tonight. It starts at seven, and we're all going, so be ready."

Her piece said she went back to what she was doing. Naomi and Derek looked at each other and then she stared at Shelby. "When was this decided?"

"Umm, I heard some girls talking about it yesterday. Seems like a good time."

"Do you know who's having it?"

"Nope," said Shelby, making a popping noise with her lips on the 'p'.

Derek entered the conversation. "You don't know who or what it's for but you're still going."

Finally catching the puzzled tones of the other two, Shelby looked up. "Well, yeah."

Derek made a sound of bewilderment while Naomi tried talking sense into the girl. "I don't think we should intrude like that; some might call that rude. We," she pointed to the three of them, "Weren't even given an invitation."

"Forget rude, it's going to be uncomfortable if we don't know anybody there," Derek pointed out.

Shelby looked at him as if he were stupid. "That's why we're going together, dummy."

"I actually agree with Derek," interjected Naomi at Derek's huff. "The hosts might not want us there and we should respect that."

"Oh, please. We've all snuck into parties before, don't even try to deny it."

"I'm not trying to say that but its private. It would look bad on us."

"But it's a ball, Naomi, an honest to God formal ball. Like Cinderella and all that jazz. I've never been to something like this - you wouldn't deny me the opportunity would you?"

Naomi mulled it over. "Well..."

"Please, Naomi? Please, please!" Shelby made puppy eyes while she was talking. She knew that it was incredibly wrong that she was even torn about this but Shelby wanted to go so bad. Next to her Derek shook his head. She had had a sense of terrible foreboding but she couldn't resist made Shelby was making that sad face.

"Well alright, I guess we can go," she said reluctantly

"Then problem solved, be ready at seven," said Shelby, a big smile on her face.

"Only for a little while, though. And I want you to promise that you're going to find out who's having it at least."

Shelby brushed it off with a wave of her fingers. "Of course."

XxXxXxXxX

Naomi tried her best to catch all of the gowns that Shelby was handing to her. "Here, take these and try them on." Arms full of ruffles and silk Naomi headed to the dressing rooms in the back of the small formal wear store that Shelby and her found along Main Street. After agreeing that it would be okay to go to the party Shelby had insisted that since it was a formal ball of sorts that they all had to dress up. This entailed going dress shopping for the girls.

"Fine. But I swear this is the last group that I'm trying on." She liked to shop but four hours was just too much her. Shelby meanwhile was having a blast.

"Yeah, yeah. Make sure to come out show me what those dresses look like on you."

Naomi tried turning around but gave up. There were simply too many dresses in her hands. "Don't you trust me to dress myself?"

"Trust me, with _moi_ as your fashion guide men aren't going to be able to take their eyes from you."

"But I'm not interesting in meeting a man. My relationship track record speaks for itself."

"Yeah but that was so long ago. Don't you think that it's time to try again?" asked Shelby.

_Not really_ she thought. She said over and over that she really didn't want a man but her friend was always pushing for her to find someone. The first time that she met Nikolai she thought that he would be great for Naomi until she quickly explained the situation. Shelby pouted but understood. That didn't stop her from trying to set Naomi up with other guys though. Obviously this was just another attempt.

"Come out and show me how they fit, too."

"Sure," Naomi promised as she tried squeezing into the tiny changing room. Really, these things weren't well designed for girls that had multiple gowns to try on. Closing the door as far as it would go she pondered which one to wear first. She took a mint green one off of its hanger. Might as well start out with her least favorites and work her way up from there. Using the side zipper she was extremely grateful that fashions had changed since she'd been human - lacing up a corset by herself would be difficult to say the least.

Unceremoniously she stepped out to where Shelby could see her. Giving a twirl the ugly shade of the fabric swung out in a wide circle.

Shelby crinkled her nose. "Don't know what I was thinking but it's clearly not what we're searching for. Put in the reject pile. Now."

Following orders Naomi went back to the dressing room for another round of trying on a dress. The succeeding designs all got better but were ultimately disapproved by both Shelby and her. Now down to the last one she thought that this didn't seem that bad. In fact she liked it. A lot.

Shelby chatted with the sales attendant as she prepared for the last reveal.

"We have a party to go to nad you saw my friend when she walked in. I love the girl dearly but without my help she'd be..."

All conversation stopped as Naomi stepped out. Feeling self-conscious from the looks the two women in the room were giving her she lowered her head and walked over to the display of mirrors on the back wall. Shocked she realized why the room had gone quiet. The dress it was... it was beautiful.

Behind her Shelby jumped up and ran to coo about the dress. "Oh my God, it's perfect!" She ran her hands over the soft material in admiration. "This is what I've had in mind for you."

The comment snapped Naomi out of her astonished state. "But it's my outfit. I should have the final say in what I buy."

"Uh, no. Think again. I was gonna buy whatever I felt was best no matter how you felt about it." Naomi gapped and she rushed to clam her. "The fact that we both like the same one proves that this dress was made for you, I mean just look at yourself!"

Naomi's gaze went back to the mirrors. The under part of it was a creamy white with light purple tulle over the top of it giving it the coloration of violet ice. Every so often a stitched flower design would appear. On the bodice those same flowers were used only this time they were right on the white fabric, being that there was no tulle. Pretty pearls also decorated the top mixing in nicely with the purple blossoms. It was snug and flowed out after the cinched waist line. Naomi felt like a princess.

"You agree with us, don't you?" The attendant opened her mouth but Shelby was already moving on to the next thing. Instead she just smiled and nodded, the perfect picture of an employee trying to encourage a sale.

"Right then," said Shelby digging through her bursting purse. She made a triumphant noise when she found her wallet. "Take my card because we're definitely getting this one."

"Wait," said Naomi. She turned to Shelby. "I wouldn't feel right if you paid for it."

"Don't listen to her," she assured the sales lady. "Just ring it up while she changes back into her clothes."

Knowing that arguing was useless Naomi grudgingly followed Shelby's orders. Placing the gown on its hanger she quickly pulled her shirt and jeans on before meeting her friend at the front of the store. Seeing the employee's out stretched hand she handed over the dress so it could be wrapped in a plastic cover. The purchase finalized, Naomi and Shelby said their thanks and happily left the store.

Shelby whipped out her phone and cursed when she saw the time. "Crap. It's already past four and we haven't even started hair and makeup yet."

Panicked, she hurried Naomi to the car and drove home in record time. Unbuckling the seatbelt Naomi reached towards the back seat to get her gown. Shelby stopped her with a firm grip. "There's no time, I need time to get you ready. Have Derek come and get it."

Convinced, she followed Shelby without protest. Like a maniac on a mission the witch pushed Naomi into a chair that was directly in of a mirror. Naomi sat there, unsure of what she should do. Behind her Shelby frantically searched for all the products she claimed that she needed. Evidently she had it stashed all over her room: in drawers, under her mattress. Probably the most unusual was the tube of concealer that she snagged from the inside of a boot. Naomi gave her a disbelieving stare.

"What?" asked Shelby defensively.

"Nothing."

"Good because I have everything I need to completely make you over. We'll start with makeup first." As Shelby started the process Naomi closed her eyes and let her friend go to work. The soft stroke of a brush here and the swipe of a makeup pad were somewhat relaxing to her. Whenever Shelby told her to open an eye she did. After it closed again it was slightly heavier with the weight of mascara and eye shadow on it. Sitting there unworried about anything, for the moment, the memories of her old life came trickling back. They always seemed to do this, especially when she was caught off guard.

Being in this chair, a close friend hovering over her, it reminded her of a long ago moment when Rebekah was getting her ready for her first formal party. It had been her first time ever wearing makeup, too. She remembered that she thought it was the most uncomfortable feeling in the world, but she had looked so fantastic afterwards that she didn't care. Of course Elijah had loved it which helped her confidence immensely-

In disgust she shook her head. Let the past stay in the past. She couldn't change her history but she didn't have to dwell on it. She had loved the Mikaelson family, they _were_ her family. When Elijah cheated on her it ripped her apart. Added to the fact that none of them had ever come searching for her and she decided a long time ago that she would stop caring about them. If only she could convince her heart to follow.

Finished with her face Shelby quickly pulled out a curling iron. Working with small sections of hair at a time she pulled together the mass of curls to rest on the back of Naomi's head. Looking in the mirror she knew that it was a bun, some of the loose curls spilling out of it.

"There." Shelby's reflection smiled proudly in the mirror. "All done."

Naomi was impressed by how glamorous she was and reached up to touch her hair. Then she realized how late it probably was. "Oh, are you going to be able to get ready? It's probably already time to go."

Shelby snorted at her voiced concern. "Honey, I'll be fine. Trust me. I do my own look every day. Plus a little magic never hurt any one," she smiled. "Now go downstairs and start your car, grab Derek on the way out too. I'll meet you guys in fifteen minutes, tops."

Having little choice Naomi left Shelby's room. "Derek," she called out. "I'm going to get the car, meet me in the garage." She couldn't see him anywhere but with vampire hearing it shouldn't be an issue. She was confident that he had heard her. Sure enough, when she opened the garage door she felt him come up beside her.

"You rang?"

"Yeah, Shelby's going to be ready any minute and wants to leave as soon as possible."

Derek finally noticed her party attire. "Awesome dress. You look like a real life princess."

"Thanks," she blushed. "You look handsome." And he did in his sharp black tux.

"Never doubt my work," called out Shleby. Naomi whirled around, her dress fanning out.

"Wow, that was faster than expected."

"Told you," she smiled. "A little magic always helps."

The small trio assembled, they entered the Porsche. Revving the engine Naomi back out of the drive way and peeled off. She was reluctant to go just this morning but now that she was dressed and driving her car, she was ready for some fun.

"Hey," she called into the back seat. "Did you ever get that name I asked for?"

"Yes," assured Shelby. "I'm ninety percent sure that it's Michaels or Morganson... something like that."

"What!" screeched Derek. "The one condition for going to this was that you would find out the family's name. You couldn't even do that?"

"Excuse me but I was focused on more important things like finding her a dress." Shelby pointed at Naomi.

"Darn it Shelby! I have half a mind to turn this car around," said Naomi. Unfortunately they all spent so much time arguing that they had arrived at the address before any threats were actually realized. The house was incredible. Large and grandeur. Just what kind of family in Mystic Falls could afford such a residence? Through the front windows she could see guests mingling together.

"See," shouted Shelby. "We're here! Too late to go leave now." Grudgingly the two other accepted that they would go to the party. Even if they didn't exactly agree with it.

"Don't wait up for me," she said teasingly before bounding up the steps. Trailing her they stepped into the mansion, not knowing what they were getting themselves into.


	17. Chapter 17

Before any of them could knock the doors were pulled open and a soft orchestral cadence played in the background. Stepping into view was a younger man fitted with slacks, a white dress shirt, and black vest. A party worker, if Naomi had to guess. Door attendedent most likely. The worker smiled and stretched out his hand. "May I take your things?"

Shelby threw her coat at him and walked off. That left Naomi and Derek to apologize for their rude friend. "I'm sorry," she said. "She's not usually like that, I promise." The young man smiled again.

"No worries. Please, enjoy the party."

Thanking him Derek pulled her into the wide expanse of an entry room where most of the guests were congregated. "Well," Derek said, "I suppose we won't be seeing her the rest of the night."

"She did say not to wait up for her."

He shrugged. "One less person to keep track of, I guess."

"Oh please, like _I_ need a babysitter."

Feeling awkward since they were standing off to the side by themselves Naomi volunteered to get them refreshments. Rows of champagne flutes lined the length of a long, thin table. The cherry-hued drink fizzed and sparkled as she swirled it. Two glasses in hand she turned to go back to Derek and felt slightly annoyed when she saw that he wasn't there. Talk about the pot and the kettle. Just minutes ago he was complaining about Shelby wondering off but here he was doing the same thing. Alone she appeared even more awkward than before. Fed up with being abandoned for the night she tossed back the first glass and kept the second one with her. Naomi wasn't worried, it wasn't like she could get drunk. Regular vampires had an abnormally high tolerance for alcohol but as she was one of the first vampires ever created she was immune to it.

Determined to salvage the evening she studied the artwork displayed on the mansion walls. Her eyes widened as she took in the elegance of all the pieces. They were simply breathtaking. The color palettes were vibrant, the images crisp, the lining precise. All in all a great collection of art. Incredible, she thought. She raised her hand to run her fingers over the smooth paint of a classical landscape. She paused when she found letters tucked into the corner of the painting. _K. M. _she read. Huh. Moving on to the next one she admired a portrait of a woman, from her appearance she was probably from the Renaissance era. Once again she found the same initials tucked away in the lower right corner. With a sense of foreshadowing she eyed the rest of the paintings on the wall. Quickly searching the images in each the _K. M. _kept showing up. Had the same artist really done of them?

Turning to inspect the next wall she started when she knocked into someone, a blond girl wearing a pretty blue gown. And from the smell of her she was a vampire, too. Although from her expression she hadn't yet sensed the same about Naomi. She must be fairly young to not have developed that particular sense.

"Oh my gosh," proclaimed the other blond. "I'm so sorry, I totally wasn't paying attention to where I was walking."

Naomi waved her hands in front of her face. "Don't worry about it, that happens to me more than you would think."

The girl looked relieved at Naomi's calm demeanor. "Good, you're not mad. Some of the people here wouldn't be as cool about it, that's for sure."

"Wait, don't you know everyone here? I thought that they were all from Mystic Falls."

"They are," agreed the girl. "I don't recognize you, though. What did you say you're name was?"

"Oh, "I apologize for being so rude. I'm Naomi Jacobsen," she said using her maiden name. She hadn't introduced herself as a Mikaelson for many centuries now.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Caroline Forbes. Are you new to town?"

"Not exactly," she hedged. "More like passing through."

Caroline frowned. "That's too bad. Mystic Falls is actually a pretty cool town if you stick around long enough."

Carelessly Naomi answered, "Yeah, I know."

"I thought you said that you were only here for a short time."

"I am but... I've heard great things about it," she said lamely. It wasn't much of a save but it was better then nothing. Besides Caroline bought it and moved on to the next question.

"Well hopefully you changed your mind. I'd love getting to know you better and think we could be good friends."

Behind them a deep male voice started talking. The low pitchvoice sounded familiar yet not at the same time. "Well, I'd better go," said Caroline. "The toast is starting."

Saying their good-byes the girls parted ways, Caroline joined the gathered crowd in front of the stairs and Naomi retreated outside for some air. At least that was the excuse that she gave. Honestly, she didn't want the host family to spot her lest they call her out on being a stranger and publically remove her from their house. How embarrassing would that would be, especially in front of such a large group of people. Also, even though she was positive that she had never heard that voice before something about it was irresistible to her. Every feminine instinct she had demanded that she seek out the source of that melodic voice. It was ...highly unsettling.

The cool outdoor air did wonders to keep her in check and out of sight at the same time. She rolled her eyes when she saw that the background was as lovely as the house itself. How money did this family have? Tiny lights were strung up on wires that circled the patio leaving the immediate area around the house well illuminated while the grassy patches were left in darkness. She couldn't tell for sure but it appeared that the land stretched back until it met with the tree line of the surrounding woods some two hundred meters back. Back when she was human she used to be afraid of those woods and the uncertain creatures lurking in them but since her transformation into a night creature she knew that she had nothing to fear. Her kind was the one that had countless horror storied told about them after all.

Eager to finally have some true alone time to herself she further explored the backyard. Patio sets, a carefully attended to law, and if she listened hard enough she could hear the trickle of a small pond somewhere out in the darkness. Final Conclusion: the family was immensely wealthy. But she already knew that. Everything about this property was to undeniably show their affluence. Naomi snorted. Some people simply had large egos and, if their budgets could afford it, liked to show off. She'd really like to meet to these people to see if her analysis was correct but direct confrontation might be too risky.

From behind Naomi a deep rumble broke the quiet. She quickly turned around but seeing nothing there she relaxed and faced forward. Maybe she was hearing things. Whatever that was it sounded large and - there it went again! This time there was no mistaking that something was outside with her. She spun around but still didn't see anything. Slowly walking around the edge of the patio she gasped. A horse. It was an honest to gods horse! It had been ages since she had last seen one in the flesh and up close like this. Excited she went to pet its silky white coat. She loved horses, always had. Probably from her constants dealings with them back in older times before modern transportation had been invented. She knew their way around them like most kids today knew their way around video games. Derek and Shelby sometimes teased her for admiring horses so much but she didn't care. If it were up to her she totally would have one. Unfortunately she didn't have the time or space to properly take care of one.

"You're lucky," she whispered to the snow white mare. "To have all this space must make you very happy." The horse softly panted as if agreeing with Naomi. She spent the rest of her time out there petting the horse and talking to it. That was were Derek finally found her.

"There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you." He looked exasperated. "Come on, you've already missed the first dance but I'm determined to get you on that dance floor." Naomi waved farewell at the horse while Derek grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the house.

Inside the music was going, well, as much as classical music could, and people were dancing. She was kind of impressed actually. All of the humans here were peforming these quintessential dances flawlessly. Even she was a little rusty when Derek took her by the hand and started waltzing with her. At first she kept stepping on his feet but as the song progressed she feel back into moves and rhythms she learned so long ago. She loosened up and pretty soon she having a good time. That coming from someone who had never liked dancing that much. The two friends must have danced five songs before stopping due to an interruption. For the second time that night Naomi bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry," she started. When she saw who it was she trailed off and laughed. "Hello, Caroline."

The blond also had a hard time stifling her giggles. "Naomi we've got to stop meeting like this."

Derek glanced between the two girls curiously. "So you guys know each other?"

Having forgotten about him Naomi rushed to explain. "Earlier while I was getting drinks, thanks for leaving me by the way," she elbowed him in the stomach, "Caroline and I ran into each other - literally. Trust me I'm not usually this clumsy."

"No, I get it," said Caroline. "I've been a little distracted myself tonight." Her face seemed pinched at the end. Naomi thought it peculiar but didn't want to pry in her business when she had only known her for a few hours.

"Let me guess, boy problems?" Both girls snapped their heads at Derek.

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Caroline.

"Don't distress, you're not that obvious. It's just that I'm going through some trouble because of a certain man, too."

Caroline finally put the pieces together. "You're gay?"

Naomi took over for him when Derek looked sad. "Derek's boyfriend has to travel a lot so he gets lonely when he's gone for so long."

Caroline patted his hand in sympathy when they all heard a commotion that appeared to be coming from the front of the house. "Excuse me," she said with a little panic in her voice. Holding onto her full dress skirt she left, turning her head in all directions like she was searching for someone.

"Want to check it out?" said Derek,

"Might as well." Pushing their way around people as politely as possible they found that the source of the scuffle was coming from outside of the front doors. Throwing them wide open Naomi found two men fighting on the ground. Both were vampires although one was considerably older. She could feel it. Strangely enough it was very similar to her signature. Before she could think about that the younger, darker haired man pinned the other one underneath him and slammed his head into ground with brute force. Hating violence of any kind she realized that she could stop the altercation. Being ancient had its advantages; there was little on this earth that was able to harm her and she doubted these vampires would have any affect on her.

"Naomi, don't," warned Derek having figured out her intentions. Ignoring him she jumped into the fray. Predictably the one went flying towards the front steps but she was shocked when the second only moved a foot. She had never come across a vampire who was able to resist her strength like that. By now a small crowd had gathered at the door to watch. A worried man parted through the cluster and ran to the one on the stairs, who was currently lying on his back in pain.

The young man shouted in his face. "Damon! Are you crazy?"

Damon looked contrite at the accusation. "Maybe a little."

The negative energy gone Naomi was able to observe some things. How there was an exact replica of Katarina hovering over the injured vampire. Like how the other vampire looked stunned as he gazed up at her. And that he was an exact match for one Kol Mikaelson. No, she though with growing horror. There was _no way_ that this was him. Then he spoke removing all doubt from her heart.

"Naomi," he said softly. "Is it really you?"

Unable to deal with the high level of hysteria she turned around only to see more Mikaelson siblings standing in the door way. Finn, Klaus, Bekah... they were all there and looking stunned like they had seen a ghost. Well they weren't the only ones. Naomi was sure that she was going to have a panic attack. She felt light headed and there was a ringing noise in her ears that made her think it was very likely that she would faint. At least _he_ didn't seem to be with him. If he was there she wouldn't be able to hold it together.

Where was Derek? Now was the perfect time to grab her and make a run for it. She tried to speak but her throat was too heavy. Meanwhile Derek stood there uncomprehending, not noticing what her body language was screaming at him to do. Idiot, she though miserably. She had never shown him what the Mikaelson family looked liked, had never bothered to since didn't plan on ever seeing them again. How stupid that was. It completely back fired on her and now she was left to deal with the consequences of her prideful thinking that she could avoid them forever.

One last time the crowd parted for a man that yelling before he even exited the door way. "Kol! How could you? You knew that mother wanted this night to be special." Standing there clearly upset was Elijah Mikaelson. Sure he had shorter hair and a modern suit on but it was him none the less; he hadn't aged a day. She laughed bitterly. Of course he was the same - he was a vampire, they both were. Off-handedly she also discovered that his was the voice she had been running from before when she went to the backyard.

Noticing that his sibling were unresponsive he glanced in the direction they were staring at. Upon seeing his wife he dropped to his knees. "Naomi?" he questioned in equal parts od awe and agony. Hearing his voice was the last straw. Black dot flooded her vision and the last thing she saw as she collapsed to ground, making an unattractive 'smack', was the Mikaleson family plus Derek all reaching out for her.

**Duh duh duuuh. So what did you readers think? Did it live up to your expectation? I hope so, I spent a lot of time on this chapter. And yes, all your questions about exactly what happened the night of their anniversary will be answered as the Originals will now be in every chapter. Once again, thanks for reading! (By the way when Caroline left right the second time it was because she was looking for Stefan since she heard Damon. It wasn't that clear so I apologize.)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Woohoo, over 80 reviews! Thanks so much readers :)** **I know I got a few comments on the fact that an original fainted. Ehh, maybe I got a little too excited when I was writing the last chapter but I gotta figure that even the oldest of vampires can suffer from panic attacks. Any way back to the story. Hope you guys like this chapter. Keep the feedback coming. **

When Naomi finally cam around she felt something hard under her head. Fleshy, but hard. Slowly her brain activity started to fire but she couldn't manage the strength to open her eyes. It was frustrating but hearing arguing voices all around her she decided that maybe it was best not to let them know she was awake yet. The voices sounded heated she just didn't recognize who was speaking or what they were saying. Like her vision her hearing hadn't come back right away despite her state of consciousness. Annoyed she did the only thing she could do, which was lay there. Gradually her senses came back and she was left with a chilling clammy feeling in her limbs.

At first no one noticed her open eyes. This gave her time to take in the scene around her. She was in a small, private room of some sort, presumably at the house where the party was taking place. Everyone from the revelation that had taken place was still with her. The Mikaelson children and Derek. Much to her horror she found that her head was resting in someone's lap, but not just any one, no, Elijah's. _Of course. _The irony of it all, she tought. She had spent the better part of her existence as a vampire hiding from Elijah and here she was placed perfectly over him, his hand petting her blond hair as if he had the right. _Actually this feels kind of relaxing... Oh, hell, no! _

Suddenly Naomi felt angry. Gone was the earlier shock and panic at seeing the Mikaelsons, now she was running on bitterness. She quickly shoved off of Elijah and got as far away from the couch as possible. "Get your hands off me!" she shouted. Everyone stopped their bickering and looked at her. At least they knew she was awake now.

From the group of surprised vampires emerged one familiar, concerned voice. "Are you okay?" questioned Derek as he rushed to give her a hug. Naomi nodded but didn't say anything. "I wa so worried when I saw you fall! Don't ever do that to me again!"

She snorted. "It's not like I planned it or something," she said with humor. He playfully punched her arm.

"Still. You know what I meant."

Banter aside she needed to focus. "Derek," she whispered. Being as old as the Mikaelsons she knew it was pointless to hide something from them by merely whispering. Doing it was more for her peace of mind not for any real secrecy. "How long was I out for? An where are we?"

He glanced down at his watch momentarily. " Calm down, it's only been eight minutes." So they used vampire sped to transport her then. "After you passed out we all reached to grab you but that one guy beat me to you and carried you inside to the meeting room we are now in." He pointed over his shoulder at Elijah. "When I tried to take you from him he got all growly an sat down with you on the couch."

He sighed a dreamy look in his eyes. "Gotta admit, he is cute though. They all are."

"That's the last thing any one of them needs to hear," she hissed. Excitement over her good health died down when Derek saw the tension in her rigid shoulders, the daggers in her eyes that seemed to be poised at the mystery man on the couch. Naomi may have been angry but the man had nothing but adoration on his face. There was a bit of tightness too, but he couldn't identify what emotion it was.

Naomi saw Derek's confusion as he looked at the others and felt slightly embarrassed. He must be wondering why she was being so hostile.

"Right," she said. "Time for introductions. Derek this is Rebekah, Kol, Niklaus, and Finn." She pointed to each one when she spoke their name. Elijah looked a little uncomfortable that she didn't say his along with those of his siblings'. Good, let him sweat a little. "Oh, and this is Elijah, my-"

"Wait, Elijah?" Derek peered at him in contemplation and understood. "That's _him_? This is _the_ Elijah , the one that was having an affair behind your back?" He zipped over to Elijah, who was still sitting on the couch,and poked him in the chest. "Have I got words for you, buddy. Do you know how much pain you've caused her all these years?"

Elijah looked shocked, an expression that didn't normally appear on his face, before getting up and pushing Derek. "Excuse you, fledgling," he sneered in a haughty tone. "But you really don't understand what took place then. And if I recall correctly _she _was the one who left _me_."

"Fledgling? I'll have you know that I'm one-hundred and twelve!"

Hearing Elijah's harsh accusations Naomi started yelling as well. " Yeah, I left. Because you had your tongue down some Petrova girl's throat!"

"That wasn't-"

Pretty soon the shouts grew so loud that no one could hear what was being said anymore. "This is ridiculous," muttered Rebekah. Tired of the fighting she took off her heels, placing them on the ground, and climbed on top of a table in the corner of the room.

"Hey!" she shouted. No response. Perturbed she tried again to have the same thing happen. Placing her fingers in her mouth she whistled. Loudly. Finally everyone stopped and gave her their attention. "Glad we're all on the same page," she said sarcastically. "Now gentlemen, if you would please exit the room. It's time for us girls to have a chat."

She shooed all of her brothers plus Derek. Kol set the example and gave her a mock salute while opening the doors. The other reluctantly followed one by one. Derek was the last to leave and gave her a sympathetic smile, shutting the heavy wooden doors after him. The two girls were left alone, silence stretching between them. Without warning Rebekah leaped down from the table and wrapped Naomi in a constricting embrace.

"You crazy girl," she cried. " I though that I would never see you again!" Hearing the pain in Bekah's voice Naomi started to tear up.

"I never planned to stay away so long but the more time I spent away the more alluring it was to stay gone." She pulled back to stare at her old friend. "You have to know that it wasn't because of you, though. Your brother-"

"The pain was terrible. Not only for me but the entire family. You can't know what it did to us, not having you in our lives."

That made Naomi pause. "What do you mean? I was never that important of a person in our family."

"Silly Naomi, you were the only pure thing left in our world keeping us from being monsters. When you left things got bad, and they stayed that way for a long time. Klaus turned more violent than ever, Kol left as well, Elijah... no I won't tell you their stories. They can tell you themselves."

"Rebekah it's so wonderful to see you again but I don't plan on sticking around Mystic Falls for long."

Bekah seemed disappointed. "Not even when you know we're here, now?"

"Especially now. Bekah I can't face him, even after all this time."

"He never stopped loving you," she said confidently.

"That's not the issue. I haven't stopped either, it's just... I don't think I can forgive him or forget," Naomi confessed.

The only part Rebekah heard was the part that she wanted to hear. "The feeling is mutual?" Naomi nodded slightly. "This is wonderful! You two can get back together-"

"Whoa, slow down there, I never said I would take him back!"

"You said still loved him."

"And I do but-"

"No buts about it, Naomi. I'm going to make it my mission to reunite you with my brother. Oh it's going to be a classic tale of epic love," she said excitedly.

Now that Rebekah had the idea there was nothing Naomi could do to derail her. It seemed some things never changed. Turning around she walked towards the door to leave.

"Wait!" shouted Rebekah. "Where are you going?"

"I want no part in this Bekah. And no amount of guilt or blackmail will convince me otherwise." Rebekah immediately removed her puppy dog eyes and flitted to Naomi's side. She squeezed her hand in a wordless plea.

"Wait, promise that you'll still be in town tomorrow. I don't want to lose you when I've just found you."

That gave Naomi pause. "Fine. I promise."

"Good," smiled Rebekah. "We have so much to catch up on."

Going back to the table she had stood on she rummaged through the drawers looking for something. She raised her hands in victory, holding up a piece of scrap paper and a pen. She scribbled numbers on it and pressed it into Naomi's palm. "My cell phone number," she explained. "You can call me and we'll go out when it's a good time for you."

She may be irritated by Bekah's attempt at match-making but she excepted the paper with a small smile. She had missed Rebekah terribly. "I will."

Rebekah got a teasing look in her eyes. "I can't believe that you actually fainted. I didn't think it was possible for a vampire, much less an orignal, to do that."

"Shut up. It was a highly stressful situation, okay?"

Laughing they returned to the main foyer downstairs. To her surprise the guests were all gone which was strange considering it was only ten o'clock. The workers were busy cleaning up the remnants of the party and the only one still there was Derek who was waiting for her by the door.

"The ball is over already? It's so early, though."

Rebekah gave a fleeting glance at the empty house. "Yes. Hmm seems that mother didn't appreciate the violence that took place."

"Wait, _mother_? As in Esther? I though she was dead," said Naomi in bewilderment.

"Uh, yes, I'll explain some other time. It's complicated." Well, that was the most shocking piece of news she had heard all evening.

The two girls walked down the grand stair case together and Naomi was given her coat back by a nameless worker.

"Thank you," she said, putting it on.

Reaching the front door Naomi and Rebekah hugged one last time. "I'll anxiously be awaiting your call," said Rebekah. "I wouldn't recommend slipping away in the night, either. I'm sure that my brothers would agree with me when I say that I want you to stay. They would have no problem tracking you down."

Naomi reassured her that she wouldn't. "I won't. When have I ever broken my word to you?"

"Never but a little threatening doesn't hurt."

Derek and Naomi walked outside to find the Porsche already waiting for them. Not joking about driving the car for once, Derek got in the passenger's side while Naomi turned the keys in the ignition. He gave her a few minutes to process everything that had happened tonight before speaking. He was dying to know what had been said once he left the room. "So, what did you guys talk about?"

"About things. She gave me flack for fainting, too. Mainly we argued about her wanting to repair Elijah and I's broken relationship."

"You didn't go along with it, I hope."

"definitely no, the only thing I agreed to was hanging out with her tomorrow."

"Good. If you had said yes I might have had to beat some sense back into you."

She chuckled. "It was a pretty terrible notion but don't freak out. Elijah and I are never going to happen. Not again." She sounded so confident and was so sure that when her heart panged a bit she refused to acknowledge it.

_Never again. _

**Hoped it was everything you though it would be. I'm thinking about maybe doing the next chapter from Elijah's point of view but I don't know yet. Any thoughts? Feel free to comment. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Longest chapter so far! Hope that doesn't turn anyone off because I had a lot of fun writing this. Thanks for all the support and enjoy! **

Giving himself a quick glance-over Elijah smoothed back the lapels on his tux. For good measure he adjusted a few loose, wayward strands of dark brown hair. Nothing made for a better first impression than impeccable looks and polite manners. As per his mother's request the Mikaelson family was hosting a ball at Niklaus' mansion that very evening. Checking the clock on the wall Elijah realized that the guests had probably started to trickle in. Everyone in Mystic Falls was dying to meet the new, rich family in town, it seemed.

Satisfied with his appearance he walked into the hallway and towards the grand stair case. Elijah stilled harbored some vengeful feelings against his younger brother for daggering him, again, but he had to admit Niklaus had good taste. The mansion was impressive on a day-to-day basis but now that it was decorated for the party it was even more so. The guests must have agreed if their awe-filled stares were any indicator. His siblings were all at the foot of the stairs, waiting for him. It was nice, he thought, to not be the only one who respected a time schedule for once.

"Hello, Elijah," they groused as a group. He then noticed that they were one sibling short.

"Where is Finn?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Not even back for a day and he's trying to be back in mother's good graces. They've been locked up in her room for the last hour or so."

"Golden child," coughed Kol into the crook of his elbow.

"Better that than the wild child, Kol," noted Elijah. The youngest brother chuckled and returned to his usual antics, living up to his reputation as a jokester.

"So, Nik," he said with mischief written on his face. "Do you think your girlfriend will show?" Klaus clenched his fists trying to comply with Esther's restriction on violence.

"I don't rightfully know," he said through his teeth. "For the last time, Caroline is not my girlfriend."

Rebekah decided to join in. "Remember Kol, she rejected him in favor of one of his hybrid lackeys."

Kol didn't need the backup though, which he promptly let his sister know. "You're one to talk. Is your football hero here, yet?"

"Fine," she huffed. "See if I help you again."

Elijah stepped in before more words were thrown. "Children, we are at a party. Best behaviors," he reminded. He patted his two brothers on the back and went to mingle.

"Hey," said Kol. "Isn't that the mayor talking with one of those Salvatore boys?" Klaus and Rebekah looked in that direction.

"Yes, the older one," supplied Klaus with annoyance. "Damon."

"Well, then. Let's follow 'Lijah's example and mingle. I, for one, plan to relieve the poor mayor from her dreadful company." Despite some grumblings from Klaus, who would much rather be drawing, the three Mikaelsons moved to talk to the townspeople.

Thirty minutes later Elijah finished telling one of the workers to bring out more champagne when he saw Klaus nearby. "Still no Finn?"

The hybrid rolled his eyes. "None. It seems that after all these centuries he's gone back to doing what he does best." At Elijah's raised brow he said, "Kissing ass."

Lips twitching in amusement he spotted Elena standing by the refreshment table, sans a Salvatore. _Finally._ Those two were tenacious when it came to protecting the doppelgänger. "Excuse me," he said to Klaus making his way to the girl.

He lowered his head in a bow. "Elena."

"Elijah," she returned with a small curtsey.

"Tell me, are you enjoying yourself? I see you got rid of your guard dogs."

"Yes," she said nervously glancing around. "They won't like that I disappeared but its their own fault. Well, really just Damon's. He was smothering me."

"Glad to see that you're having fun. Have you been able to meet the other members of my family yet?"

Elena looked slightly surprised. "Actually, I was just talking with one of your brothers, Finn. He seems nice."

At that Elijah pinned her under a sharp gaze. "Is that so? What did my dear brother say?"

"Nothing really. Only that your mother wants to talk to me; alone." _Now why would she do that._

"My mother requested to see you," he said slowly.

"Uh, yeah. Why, is something wrong?"

"Well, her ability to forgive my brother after everything he's done to destroy this family strikes me as a little strange to say the least."

"Do you think that it's an act?"

"It has me asking questions I never thought I'd ask. Can I depend on you to tell me what she says?"

"Of course. I'll find you later, okay?"

"I want you to promise, Elena. If my mother is planning an elaborate scheme, you need to tell me. I will do anything, as you're aware, to protect this family." He grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard. "And I mean anything." He held onto her for a few more seconds, scaring Elena a little. Satisfied he released her and Elena scurried back to the crowd. Back to Damon or Stefan, no doubt.

Behind him someone tapped his shoulder. He saw that it was his sister, Rebekah. "Elijah," she greeted. "It's time to make an address to the guests. As the eldest son –"

"The duty falls to me. I remember. Round them up, I'll be with you shortly." He quickly checked to make sure a few food servers were doing their jobs correctly and joined his family on the grand staircase.

"Uh, if everyone could gather, please," he announced. Not having prepared a speech he decided to keep it simple. "Welcome, thank you for joining us. You know, whenever my mother brings our family together like this, it's tradition for us to commence the evening with a dance. Tonight's pick is a centuries-old waltz, so if all of you could please find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ballroom."

Shutting the microphone off Elijah made his way to the room where the dancing would take place. Furniture had been removed from the room earlier in the day to make space for the dancing which was a good call because it was quickly filling up. It seemed that everyone had a dance partner except him, though. Niklaus lead Caroline by the hand, Rebekah excitedly grabbed the blond-haired boy, Matt was his name. Elena and Damon were heading toward an open area. Even Kol and Finn had young women hanging on their arms.

_This won't do, not at all._

Standing to the side was a group of single girls. They advertised their statuses by the wistful way they stared at the couples getting ready for the music. Elijah walked up to one with red hair. "Elijah Mikaelson," he introduced in his most charming voice. "May I have this dance?"

The girl lightly blushed with pleasure. "S-sure," she stammered.

Holding her arm he guided her to her starting spot, moving to stand across from her. The musicians started the waltz and Elijah and his partner met in the middle. Grasping her hand with his own and placing the other around her waist, they started swaying. Engaged in idle conversation Elijah honestly tried being polite and listening. Tried but didn't succeed. Now he was reminded why he avoided dancing when possible. It brought up old memories, ancient almost. Of a time when he actually enjoyed dancing because he had a partner of his own back then. He had her… _I should have suggested another activity_. Thankfully the red-head twirled away as the dance partner switched.

He blocked any further reminiscing but it was too late. His mood was ruined. Elijah smiled and commented as best he could, anxiously waiting for the blasted song to end. The tempo of the waltz was slowly winding down when his last partner swung into his arms. He gasped.

Curled blond hair… pale ivory skin… Naomi's name was on the tip of his tongue when he saw he was mistaken. "Good evening, Caroline." His voice was dejected; otherwise he thought he hid his disappointment well.

She seemed slightly flustered. Her eyes roved around nervously making it clear something was bothering her.

"Have a run-in with Niklaus recently?"

Caroline went on the defensive. "No! Why would you assume that?"

"You're jumpy. My brother tends to have that effect on people,"

"Fine," she sighed. "He cornered me before the waltz and I agreed to dance with him. But he confuses me. How can he be so charismatic yet so frustrating at the same time? It drives me crazy!" At Elijah's knowing look she blurted. "That doesn't mean I actually like him though!"

"I implied nothing of the sort. I will admit that Niklaus does find it difficult to express his emotions, so you may not be alone in your confusion."

"Oh. Sorry for yelling then."

The rest of their dancing together wa spent in silence. Caroline because she was embarrassed and due to impatience on his part. That and the longer they danced the more her scent caught his attention. It was familiar to him but the answer to where he had encountered it stayed just outside of his reach. He racked his brain but wasn't able to come up with anything. The song couldn't end soon enough. He was barely restraining himself from plain walking out as it it was. But the higher powers must have taken pity on him because the beat rapidly built only to come crashing down, signaling the completion of the waltz. The conductor bowed to the claps of the crowd, the orchestra players lowering their bows. Glad for the reprieve Elijah planned to retreat upstairs.

"Thank you for the dance, Caroline," he said. "I have somewhere else to be but I hope you stay the rest of the night." Turning to take his leave he remembered one last thing. "You fragrance is wonderful by the way. Honey and lilac are a heady combination."

Caroline smiled and waved. Elijah was the only original that didn't make her instantly uncomfortable. Her forehead crinkled when she frowned. Wait, she wasn't wearing honey-and-lilac scented perfume. Huh, maybe he was mistaken.

XxXxXxXxX

It wasn't often that Elijah cracked but now was one of those times. He felt alone, pathetic.. the disappointment his father, Mikael, claimed he was. Their relationship hadn't always been strained but after banding with his siblings when the original hunter came for Niklaus, his father renounced Elijah as his heir. Not that it really bothered Elijah. His family was immortal, leaving no need for an heir, and he returned the disgusted sentiment to his father. However the word 'disappointment' did.

The largest regret he had in his very long life was that he failed to save his marriage. Naomi had been the perfect woman. Kind. Just. Gentle. Innocent, as well, perhaps too much so. That innocence allowed for many secrets between them, at least on his part. And when she caught him in the midst of one of those secrets it was too late. She fled before he could explain. During his time spent undaggered in the 21st century he tried his best not to dwell on the past too much. His brooding is what got him into trouble and put into a coffin in the first place.

Certain situation proved difficult to pretend to be the confident, moral son that was expected of him. The ball for example. Naomi loved the atmosphere of parties and dances. That she wasn't here to enjoy it with him weighed down his heart, like lead. And he knew that it was his own fault. So to escape the hurt he lied down and collected himself in the quiet of his room.

Elijah closed his eyes to rest for a moment. To his irritation he heard a rap at the door. He ran to the door using his vampire speed and opened it.

"Your mother is making a toast and wants you there, Master Elijah," said the male worker. Master? What was this man talking - a glimmer of gold flashed across the other person's eyes. That it explains it, he thought. The workers were all Klaus' hybrids.

He'd hidden long enough. "Sure thing," he answered. Elijah took a deep breath while going downstairs. Back to playing the host figure. When he chose a spot to stand a large group was already circled. He accepted another glass of champagne. This was probably his sixth glass of the night. Granted he couldn't get drunk but he didn't want the townspeople to think him an alcoholic. Esther came down the stairs regally, Finn trailing behind her.

"Elijah." Holding her own glass was Elena standing to his right.

"So," he began, "How was my mother?"

Elena struggled to describe her experience with the matriarch. "Intense."

"And for what reason did she need to speak with you in private? Elena, should I be worried about my mother's intentions?"

"She just wanted to apologize for trying to have me killed."

"So it's true, then? She's forgiven Klaus?" he said tentatively.

"It's true," she nodded.

The rest of their conversation was cut short as Esther started speaking to the crowd. "Good Evening, Ladies and Gentleman. Waiters are coming around with champagne, if they haven't yet." She paused while the last of the guests received their champagne. "I invite you all to join me in raising a glass. It provides me with no greater joy then to see my family back together as one. I'd like to thank you all for being part of this spectacular evening. Cheers!"

Everyone returned the toast. "Cheers!"

Elijah tossed back his glass. Elena gave him a wane smile and did the same but more delicately. Unable to look him in the eye she made up a weak excuse to leave. His eyes narrowed at her guilt actions. The Gilbert girl was definitely hiding information, clearly lying to his face. Elijah made a note to look into the matter.

The toast over, he was left standing awkwardly alone as people scattered in different directions with their cliques. Some went back to dancing, others to explore the house. Uncomfortable at his own family's party he tried to find something to do to no avail. Placing his empty champagne flute on a tray he was about to leave to go back to his room when he heard snippets of a conflict. Listening closely it sounded like the muted voices were coming from outside. All the vampires in the house picked up on the argument. Elijah met a mixture of curious and concerned expressions from his siblings, Stefan, and Elena, all at the front door.

"Fix the problem," hissed Elijah as he tried to confine the human guests in the house. "We told mother no violence. She's going to be _very_ displeased when she finds out.

Pouring out on the front lawn the rest of the group saw Kol and Damon struggling on the ground. Stefan was about to intervene but was beat by a small streak of blond. The two vampires were thrown apart, Damon coming to stop by the foot of the stairs. "Are you crazy?" yelled Stefan running to check on his brother.

Damon sounded dazed when he said," Maybe a little." Elena shook her head and went back inside. Fury and embarrassment were painfuly showing on her face when Elijah passed by her. Pushing his way through he became furious when he saw Kol was one of the ones who had brawld.

"Kol!" he shouted. "How could you? You knew that mother wanted this night to be special." He continued drilling his brother confused why he wasn't getting yelled back at like usual. He trailed off when he saw the reason for everyone's stupor. Standing not ten feet from him was the reason for his sour mood that evening. Naomi.

She looked just as confused and Elijah heard her panicked breathing. He was about three seconds from joining her, he thought as he dropped to his knees on the grass, suit be damned.

"Naomi," he whispered in reverence. He didn't need to be loud, he knew that she would hear him. Elijah became worried when he saw her slender body wavering. No it wasn't possible, she wasn't going to-

Naomi proved him wrong when her green eyes fluttered shut and she started to fall. He should be wondering how she could faint but he ran out to catch her instead along with five other people. But he reached her first, lifting her unconscious body into his arms. Elijah growled when one of them, a short brunette vampire attempted to remove her.

"Hey dude, that's my friend you have a hold of so I would appreciate it if you handed her over," he said with indignation.

Elijah didn't respond letting the veining around his eyes rise as he hugged Naomi closer to his body. There was no way he was going to give her to this nobody when he only just got her back. The shorter male frowned at Elijah's actions.

"Elijah," said Rebekah in a reasonable tone. "Let's move her to the house. People are staring." Indeed a small crowd was looking through the open door and windows.

"Fine." Wasting no words Elijah pushed past the humans to one of the private rooms on the first floor.

"Great," he heard Klaus mutter. "She's only back for two seconds and he's already acting like a moody teenager."

Seeing a couch in the center of the room Elijah sat down on it bringing Naomi down with him. The unknown vampire attempted to sit by him but Klaus stopped him with a touch to his shoulder. "My brother is out of it right now so might I interest you in one of the vacant chairs along the wall."

_Good because if he tries to take her one more time I won't be responsible for what happens._ One by one his siblings, including Finn, filed into the room, Rebekah su=hutting the door behind her. No one said anything for the rest of Naomi's unconsciousness.

Eight minutes went by when she suddenly flew off his lap. "Get away from me!" she shouted. Elijah didn't know what was worse: having her faint at the sight of him or the anger he now saw in her eyes. He stood up trying to placate her but the boy who kept following them rushed over to her. He was jealous when she received him with a smile. They talked, laughing every once in a while, Naomi pointing them out to her friend. Derek was his name Elijah reminded himself. When Naomi said his name Derek got aggressive.

"That's _him_? This is _the_ Elijah , the one that was having an affair behind your back? Have I got words for you, buddy. Do you know how much pain you've caused her all these years?"

Elijah was in mood to play games with the young vampire. It was time to put him in his place. "Excuse you, fledgling but you really don't understand what took place then. And if I recall correctly _she _was the one who left _me_."

"Yeah, I left. Because you had your tongue down some Petrova girl's throat!"

Elijah was hurt that she honestly thought that's what happened. Granted she didn't know, but it hurt. He wanted to explain but soon they were full-blown yelling at each other and nothing could be understood. He groaned as Naomi yelled something at him. This wasn't faring well. From on top of a cherry table Rebekah whistled breaking them up. Everyone went silent waiting for Rebekah to speak.

"Glad we're all on the same page. Now gentlemen, if you would please exit the room. It's time for us girls to have a chat."

He glanced over at Naomi nervously. If he left would she leave again? He had to make her understand that he was sorry and needed to explain thing to her. But his sister gave him a reassuring nod telling him without words that she wouldn't let the blond escape. Gratful, he stubbornly followed the men out. Derek gave him the stink eye and left the Mikaelson boys.

"I think I'm going to wait here for them," Elijah said. His brothers hugged him and gave him words of encouragement. Except for Finn who brushed past him without saying anything. Elijah glared at his retreating back. He would have to talk with Finn later.

"Don't worry about Finn," counseled Kol, surprisingly serious. "You know how it is with him."

"That's what worries me."

"We'll leave you to it then," said Klaus dragging Kol with him. They may fight with one another constantly but the Mikalesons were family, as such they were undyingly loyal. Elijah was left alone to digest the heavy events that had recently occurred. Naomi was back but for how long? She obviously didn't want anything to do with him but he wanted her. Needed her with every bone in his body. Now how to make Naomi see that.

He paced around waiting for the women to emerge. Eventually they came out. Naomi ran by too fast to see him standing on the other side of the door frame. He reached ou to her but Rebekah stopped him.

"Wait until I get back," she said trailing behind Naomi. He sighed but did as his sister asked and went back into the room. Moments later she returned smiling.

"Rebekah," he warned. Whenever she had that look it usually lead to some insane idea that he went along with.

"Hush, Elijah, we have work to do." She had an unholy gleam in her eye. "I'm going to help you get your woman back."


	20. Chapter 20

**It's a long time coming but here it is! I was extremely critical of this one so I hope it reads like I want it to. Enjoy and have a happy 4th of July!**

Opening the doors to the Mystic Grill Naomi looked for Rebekah. Scanning through the different faces seated at the various tables she was unable to find her. Which was odd considering Rebekah was the one who had called, demanding Naomi come to the restaurant _now_. Knowing how her friend got when she was kept waiting Naomi dropped everything and rushed over. That and she had genuinely missed Bekah and wanted to catch up with her. But in her haste she had actually arrived first, for once.

Unsure since she didn't know anyone, she decided to take a seat at the bar. That way when Rebekah came Naomi would easily see her. The dark wood was cool to the touch as she placed her cell phone on it.

"Want something to drink?"

Naomi lifted her head. A blond boy was smiling at her while wiping down the bar. "No, I'm fine," she said. "Just waiting on a friend is all."

He nodded and went back to work. Naomi shifted in her seat. Cleared her throat a few times. "Sooo... you work here?"

He looked at her and laughed. "Yeah. Like it isn't obvious. Name's Matt, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Matt. I'm Naomi." Matt placed down the towel and leaned against the counter.

"Waiting for someone special? Boyfriend, maybe?"

She immediately thought of Elijah. On the heels of that was how she planned to avoid him. "No one that fancy," she replied, slightly blushing. "I'm meeting a friend who I haven't seen in a long time."

"That's fun. You guys have a good time." He reached for the cleaning rag again and she was a little sad that he was leaving. He seemed nice.

Alone once more Naomi checked the time on her phone. 1:20, already? Geesh, Bekah was running really late. That wasn't like her at all. Where was she? _I better give her a call_. Picking up the phone she scrolled through her contacts until she found the number Rebekah had called from earlier. She dialed it and put it up to her ear. It rang only twice until cutting to voice mail.

"Hey, Bekah," she started. "It's Naomi. You're twenty minutes late, which is a record for you, so I thought I'd call to check on you. See you soon. I hope."

She ended the call and set her back on the bar. She about jumped out of her chair when she heard a deep familiar voice speak from behind her. "Hello my love."

"Elijah."

Naomi breathed through her nose to calm down. Grabbing her stuff she prepared to leave, purposely brushing shoulders with him on the way out.

"Naomi, wait." Elijah stopped her putting his hand on her upper arm.

"It was all a set-up," she hissed. She twisted out of his grip and glared at him. "Rebekah didn't want to meet and have lunch! It was a trick so we could talk." She pointed between them. "Something I have no interest in."

Elijah stood there silent, letting her rant. "Are you quite finished?" When she nodded crisply he said, "Good because whether or not you want to talk it's something that we both need."

Taking the lead he made sure she was following him and picked out a table. Elijah raised his hand signaling the waiter to come give them some menus. Naomi continued to glare the whole time.

"I don't really see why we need those. We're here to talk, right? Not eat."

Elijah sighed, frustrated. "Give it up Naomi. You might as well accept that we are going to be eating together."

Naomi was quiet for a moment, considering his words. Technically they had been separated for a majority of their marriage, so what did she owe him? She continued to sit, willing to give him a chance even though her instincts told her she was stupid for listening to him.

"Well," she prompted. "You said we were going to talk, so talk."

He smiled at her from across their booth. "You're feistier than I remember you being."

"Yeah, well, get with the times. Women are a lot more empowered in this age." What was she saying? It may have been a different century but she didn't normally go off on tangents like this. She was shy, timid not outspoken by any means. Naomi would've chalked it up to being nervous but she definitely wasn't it. She was only talking to Elijah, no big deal.

Yeah and the more times she said it maybe she would start to believe it.

The waitress came back to check on them bringing the menus. "Hello, folks. Can I start you out with something to drink? Or are you ready to order as well?" She had the order pad waiting in her hand.

"Yes to both," said Elijah. "I'll take a glass of red wine with a steak. Rare, please."

"And you?" said the waitress to Naomi.

"I'll just have a lemonade."

"A lemonade, are you sure? We have a large selection of adult beverages, if you're interested."

_Great. Alcohol. _"No thank you." She plastered a polite smile on her face. "I'll stick to the lemonade."

The waitress nodded. "Okay. These will be out right away."

Elijah went back to staring at Naomi as the waitress disappeared to the kitchen. Naomi tried ignoring him but she became paranoid the longer he did it. Even when she started squirming in the booth he was relentless. "What is it? Is there something on my face?"

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what?"

"You're so frank when you talk with me yet still so conservative when it comes to trivial things, like drinking."

She really had no other defense except for, "Alcohol tastes foul. I have no desire to drink it."

"See?" he gestured. "It's a very refreshing mix."

She tried to get the attention away from her. His observations brought up an inkling of feeling from their past. Back when they were in love and... before he cheated on her. Instantly the charm wore off. "Enough with the compliments. Start talking, Elijah."

"Very well," he sighed. "I know that you believed that I was having an affair-" Naomi gave him a withering glare. "_But_, you have to know that that's not what happened. Not even close."

"Funny," she laughed. Naomi became angry when Elijah stayed silent. "If that's all, you can save your crap for someone else."

"Naomi, really I-"

"Shut up!" she shrieked. "I was there Elijah. I watched the whole thing so don't lie to me."

"I swear, Naomi," he pleaded. "I've only ever loved you. That was the same then as it is now."

"We are _done_ here."

"Wait! I just want a chance to tell you my side of things."

Naomi stood, ready to leave for the second time. Knowing what would happen Elijah intercepted her before she left the booth. "Please," he begged. "Give me a chance, that's all I ask for. Then you can do what you will."

She was still skeptical at that point. Thought about simply moving him out of the way so she could leave. Still she sat back down, although much less convinced this time that she should. She didn't say another word opting instead to cross her arms over her chest and wait for Elijah to begin speaking. _Let's see how he explains aw__ay centuries of pain. _

"You are aware that Niklaus killed my mother, because of his true lineage?"

"He was descended from the wolves, not Mikael like the rest of your siblings."

"Yes. He was part werewolf before the transformation that turned us into vampires. And none of us questioned why he was able to turn despite the two species not being able to coexist in one body." _Duh, that's common knowledge. Tell me something I don't know._

"It was years later that we discovered otherwise, that it was indeed possible-"

"Wait, 'we'?" Naomi asked. "Who's we?"

Elijah held her eyes, answering in a serious tone. "My siblings and I. When Esther gave us the spelled blood the spirits of nature made it so that Niklaus' werewolf abilities would go dormant, leaving him a vampire only. We discovered that, in the case of Niklaus, it was possible to be both at the same time."

"Both?" Her eyes widened when Elijah nodded. "And all of you knew that, even Rebekah? Yet no one bothered to tell me?"

"It wasn't by her choice. My brothers and I swore her to secrecy." He frowned and regret swirled in his eyes. "Not that we didn't trust you implicitly but I thought it would be better, safer, if you weren't involved."

Naomi remained quiet, digesting his words. She was hurt to know that this new revelation made it the second time Rebekah betrayed her within the past thirty minutes. Hurt as she was Elijah's story was still irrelevant. "So all that time he was missing a part of himself. Awful really, but it doesn't really prove how you did or didn't cheat on me."

"I wasn't finished," he said. "If you would stop interrupting, I'd appreciate it." Naomi blushed but mentally promised that she would be quiet.

"Finding out Niklaus' unique situation raised more questions than it answered. During our time in Romania in the thirteenth century Niklaus consulted with a powerful witch coven in the area about the likelihood of breaking his curse. They were adamant about not helping a creature that went against nature but with... persuasion... they gave my brother a solution."

Naomi knew that this part of his tale would be important.

"On the eve of a full moon he needed to sacrifice a vampire, a werewolf, and a doppelgänger. Those particular ingredients held the combination that would allow him to be vampire and wolf, giving him the strengths of both species but not their weaknesses."

"Well that makes sense, I guess. Scary but it makes sense," Naomi said wearily. "What did he need a doppelgänger for?"

"The common theme between the three was they lent themselves to Klaus' history in some way. Vampire because he was one, werewolf because he wished to unlock it. The doppelgänger was essential because he was turned with the blood of that particular line."

Her lip curled when she realized he was referring to the Petrova bloodline. They had all turned by drinking Tatiana's blood.

"When we returned to Mystic Falls," he continued, "There was a family carrying the Petrova name. That family is the reason we came back, actually. My brothers searched fruitlessly for the doppelgänger. We almost gave up when I heard of some Petrova's living in the America' was mere chance that they happened to be in Mystic Falls. I told Niklaus and suddenly our family was on a ship back home."

Just as he was about to get to the good part the waitress brought out their order. The plate and drinks were set in front of them and Elijah conveniently took a sip of his wine preventing him from speaking immediately. No problem, she thought. She was patient and he couldn't dodge forever.

A few bites into his steak he dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "Mystic Falls had grown since we were last there as you remember. We settled in and quickly began to observe the girl - Katerina."

Elijah's face hardened when he said the name.

"Doppelganger found we planned on how to get closer to her." He snorted. "Not that it was difficult, she was starved for attention and loved the material items we gave her. In the end I was the one chosen to win her over being that I was the most in touch with my human emotions."

"That's why you were gone so often. You weren't out on business, or feeding, you were in town with _her_."

"It was the only way," he defended. "I had no choice if I wanted to help my brother break his curse. But soon the act became too much. My 'relationship' with Katerina sickened me and I felt ashamed of going behind your back. The night of our anniversary was supposed to be the end. Niklaus had all the pieces he needed; all that remained was the sacrifice.

"When I brought her to the house things got out of hand."

"I'll say," she said sarcastically.

"Katerina offered offered to get us wine and I agreed, barely hiding my contempt for her. She gave me the drink and I drunk it in one gulp. I was so eager to get to you so we could celebrate. But I knew something wasn't right. One moment we were merely talking and the next I had no control over my body."

"She drugged you," guessed Naomi.

He shook his head. "More like compelled."

"It's impossible for us to feel the effects of compulsion, though."

"I thought the same previous to that night. But when she told me to kiss her, I couldn't resist despite my horror. Until you burst into that godforsaken room I was completely under her control. Then I saw your face and I cursed myself. For keeping the knowledge about Niklaus from you, lying to you about the reasons for returning to Mystic Falls... hurting you in general. My emotions broke through the compulsion but it was too late; you were gone and I was lost to my grief."

His confession done neither said anything. Elijah had just told her some major revelations. Things that changed everything but not really. Maybe his story was true but too much time had passed to simply pick up where they left off.

"Why do you think it was compulsion."

"We're not really sure how it happened but Katerina knew what we were going to do to her. She employed that services of a local witch to spell the wine so I would do whatever she commanded. Kol snuffed out the witch who confessed her part in Katerina's scheme to save herself."

Naomi finished her lemonade and put it down on the table calmly. "Thank you for telling me," she said. "I don't know how much I can believe but still, thank you."

"Wait where are you going?" he asked worriedly when she got up. He didn't stop her though and she went to her car and drove home. She was calm, almost numb, which was shocking. She thought she would've been much more emotional. When she pulled into the drive way she wasn't even fazed when she saw Elijah waiting for her.

Sighing she parked her precious car and met him on the porch. He started the conversation.

"I need to know, Naomi. Does this change our situation? Because I find myself hopeful for the first time in many centuries."

"Elijah," she said, pleading that he understand. "I don't want to give a definite answer because I need to think before I commit to anything."

His shoulders sagged in relief.

"That's not a yes." she told him.

"But I can make it one. I lost you once. It's a mistake I won't make again" he said confidently. Moving unexpectedly he caught her by surprise. Before she could react he wrapped his strong arms around her waist and pressed his lips to hers. It was short, quick but packed with passion.

Naomi let herself return it for a moment but pushed away from him. He reached up and stroked her cheeks.

"Well, ummm, goodbye," she said.

Her mind was on overload and she felt dazed as she walked into the house. So much so that she didn't see Elijah smile before he turned around and sped off.


End file.
